Blood and Soul
by Nada1224
Summary: ON HIATUS! It's been six long years, the princess waited for his return. She called for him in her dreams, but nothing brought him back. That is, until a forgotten weapon created by the mistake of Neo Queen Serenity decided to take over Chibiusa's life.
1. Relationships

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon! (which is probably a GOOD thing)**

**A/N: **So here it is, the first chapter after the rewrite. I didn't change **much **of what happened in this chapter. I only switched back into the original japanese names after fighting with myself in the last month. I'm not much of a big fan for their japanese names (Its just Chibiusa's name that bothers me) buuuuttt I gave in and decided to roll with it. Now I don't know what I added or deleted since I rewrote it two months ago and I'm just NOW posting it up. -_super lazy- _New readers won't mind too much but maybe old readers might know what's different? _-shrugs- _Anyway, enjoy and don't forget to review!

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_The Brewing of Terror_

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**Chapter One:**  
_Relationships

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Six years ago this day…

Six long years of enduring the pain of sorrow and loneliness that lingered heavily within her heart.

How could he have done this to her? Didn't he realize that she loved him? Why were men so oblivious to love when they see it within the eye's of a woman who truly cares for them? It was always this way, wasn't it?

Love at first glance, soul mates, friendships, love for all eternity, it was all hell no matter what anyone said.

What good was it to live when the one you loved was gone for good?

The princess of future Crystal Tokyo heaved a heavy sigh. She felt the grief of being alone, the sorrow of her depression and the darkness within her heart grow heavier with each passing day, with each passing year.

How long would it be until her prince charming returned to her once again?

Tears began to build within her eyes as she remembered those heart-felt memories of flying in the air along side a beautiful white horse with shimmering white wings and sky blue hair. She remembered how happy she felt, how her heart swelled with emotions as they soared through the skies like angelic beings.

It was her happiest moment and now -- as she stared blankly at her bedroom window -- it might as well have been her last happiest moment.

She sniffed, feeling a tear roll down her cheek.

_Six damn long years of nothing . . . _

If she had known that love could hurt for so long, Chibiusa wouldn't have fallen for this white haired boy. No not boy. He was older now. They were both older now.

Chibiusa felt her lower lip tremble as more tears were threatening to burst forth her puffy eyes.

When life itself became too much to bear, she would recoil into the darkest reaches of her mind and search desperately for her memories of a time so long ago. They were fragmented memories of a time – of _his _time – that she would so desperately mourn. Cherished memories that allowed her to see his light brown eyes – although she had forgotten how they would light up whenever he saw her. She would remember how she felt when he drew closer to her – but never remember his warmth. She could even remember what he had once called her ---- yet never hear his voice.

Too much time had passed already, leaving her to wonder how long would it take for her own cherished memories to become nothing more than just mere dreams?

She burst into tears, unable to contain her heavy anguish and buried her face into her hands. She didn't want to forget him, she loved him so dearly, but time was against them all. She wanted him back. She wanted his warmth, his love, his touch. She didn't want to be alone. She was afraid to be alone.

She fell back into her bed, burying her face into her white pillow and sobbed even harder than before.

Ever since the Time Key had been destroyed, Chibiusa had been stuck in the Twentieth century along with Setsuna. Diana was the last one to get through the door before Chibiusa was even able to take off in the pink beam. That was two years ago, now, she was sixteen and living in a time period she was not meant to be in. Even Setsuna hadn't been able to get back to the Thirtieth century since the Time Key incident, but after a year of trying, it seemed that Setsuna had given up just like everyone else.

They were trapped and there was nothing they could do about it.

Chibiusa awoke with a start; the loud ringing of her alarm clock going off like it did every morning. It wasn't the alarm that woke her -- she knew this already -- it was her blasted dream again.

It was becoming more tiresome by the day. Every night since the Time Key incident, the pink princess had been haunted by the same meaningless dream over and over.

It would start in a ballroom with her arm wrapped around her partner's arm. Together, they walked toward the middle of the ballroom, their faces hidden by silver and golden masks that only allowed their eyes to meet. And whenever their eyes met, crimson to brown, her heart would leap in indescribable joy and all her sorrow would instantly melt into the dark depths of her heart.

She would give him a sweet, joyous smile.

He would return it with equal joy.

And together they would dance across the ballroom in such perfect balance and harmony; it was as though they were just one mind, one soul.

But every night, the dream would change.

The music would skip then stop and Chibiusa would let out a shrill scream of pain as something seared painfully across her forehead. She fell to her knees and felt her body change into something dark, something almost _inhuman_.

Everyone in the ballroom would scream in horror and fear, the King and Queen would watch in horror and then, everything would fall dark.

And the last thing she would hear was the echoing laughter of a woman.

"Wake up!" Usagi called from down stairs. "You don't want to be late for school!"

Chibiusa groaned, sitting up in her bed with a pounding headache. She nudged the alarm clock off the nightstand, hearing its agitating ringing stop and crack as it smashed to the floor. She sighed in dismay again.

It was the thirteenth time she broke her alarm clock. Just exactly how many more clocks does she plan to have Mamoru buy her?

After contemplating dreams and alarm clocks, she soon hurried into the bathroom for daily hygiene and getting ready for school before she trudged down the stairs for breakfast.

And just like every bitter morning, Chibiusa spotted Mamoru standing in front of the stove, showing Usagi how to properly flip pancakes into the air. Usagi, who had bits of flower in parts of her face and hair, watched in amazement. She instantly wrapped her arms around Mamoru, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"Oh Mamoru you're so amazing!" She gushed lovingly.

The handsome dark haired man only smiled, catching the pancake right in the pan.

Chibiusa rolled her eyes at the sickeningly sweet sight; it was cute to see the future King and Queen in their lovey-dovey mode, but at this point in life it was starting to get on her nerves.

She approached the kitchen counter, dropping her bag beside the stool. Once she sat down, she caught a glimpse of a beautiful silver diamond ring with two smaller diamonds on the silver band. She had forgotten that Mamoru and Usagi were engaged to be married. The wedding was this Saturday and yet she was still there?

Would Chibiusa finally return home by the time Usagi becomes pregnant?

She shuddered at the thought.

"Morning sleepy head," Usagi smiled, finally noticing the pink haired teen at the counter. "I heard something fall, was it the alarm clock again?"

"Yeah, I broke it again," She sighed.

"_Again_?" Mamoru cocked an eyebrow as he poured pancake mix into the pan "I can't keep buying a clock for you decide to break it every week."

"I don't think I need it anyway, I always wake up before that stupid thing rings." She looked away from the two of them, feeling her headache worsen. "Nightmares do a pretty good job with it," she muttered bitterly under her breath.

Usagi dropped the butter knife she was using for the pancakes and Mamoru turned the pan away from the open flame, a pancake still flipping in the air.

"Nightmares?" The two repeated.

Chibiusa's eyes grew wide in surprise as the pancake fell into the open fire, instantly catching fire and bellowing dark smoke into the air. "MAMORU!" She cried with a finger pointing to the stove.

Usagi and Mamoru spun around, gasping and yelling out in surprise. Usagi ran out of the kitchen, dragging Chibiusa along with her while Mamoru pulled out an extinguisher from the bottom cabinet. The two could hear the blowing of the extinguisher as white foam bellowed out of its nozzle and onto the flame. After a few minutes of fighting with fire, Mamoru sighed in relief, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Maybe I'll just go to Makoto's and get breakfast over there," Chibiusa murmured, picking up her book bag.

"Again?" Usagi raised an eyebrow. "This is the third time this week you ate over there!"

"Well, maybe if breakfast hadn't been burnt to a crisp I wouldn't have to eat there." She countered, pulling the strap over her shoulder. "See you after school."

Usagi and Mamoru watched as the pink headed teen marched out the door. It was like this every morning, something was eating up their future daughter inside and they were afraid she wasn't telling them anything. Chibiusa had once been a good model student, but now, it was like they hardly even knew her. Mamoru wrapped his arms around Usagi's shoulder, feeling the same worry that she felt. She stared into his dark blue eyes for a moment before giving him a sweet kiss of gratitude.

For the third time that week, Chibiusa was late for school. She had walked passed Makoto's café like always. In truth, she had never eaten breakfast at the Sailor's Café; she was always lost in thought and never hungry. She always felt tired even if she did get a full night's rest and no matter how hard she tried, she always felt weak.

The heaviness of her heart weighed her down; she was too consumed in thought to do anything. She couldn't eat, she couldn't sleep properly, everything was wrong. Everything felt dark, cold, and bleak. Nothing felt right anymore.

And that aching headache!

Chibiusa groaned in pain, rubbing her temple as she strolled through the quiet school halls. Her head would sear with pain, blinding her for moments of time or making her so sick to her stomach she felt like throwing up. She couldn't concentrate with the pain; she couldn't understand anything that her teacher's said. It was like her headache had its own control over her.

She walked the remainder of the school hall toward her classroom, managing to slip inside only to find that their teacher was, once again, missing from the classroom. At least now Chibiusa wouldn't be marked for being late; the teacher was always later then she was.

Most of her classmates were up and about, talking to their friends or doing last minute homework from other classes. Chibiusa spotted her best friend Hotaru in the back of the room, sitting alone with a book like she always had done. But something strange caught her eyes.

Chibiusa could feel her cheeks burn strangely. Standing on the other side of the room, like they had done countless of time, was a tall, brown haired boy Chibiusa knew was named Kei. He had a dashing smile that he would use against the ladies and strange chocolate brown eyes that stirred something within her memories. They were oddly familiar in a way, but she knew she couldn't have seen them before.

Kei was supposedly considered one of the most popular and hottest boy in their grade with a reputation of either being a bad boy and just damn right _cool_. And despite the fact that he had a killer smile and the ability to win over anyone's heart, he spent most of his time chasing after Chibiusa. She had no idea why he would waste his time on her, but she had always turned him down.

And yet, today he seemed fairly confident about something. She couldn't help but notice his devilish smile.

Chibiusa broke her gaze from him, feeling her face grow hot and her heart begin to race. _What?_ Her heart never raced when Kei looked at her. She hated Kei; he was nothing like Helios! So why did she feel this way?

She stole another glance at Kei's direction, noticing that Kei was whispering into Seta's ear. Seta was Kei's best friend just as Chibiusa and Hotaru are best friends. Those two had done everything together and it was no wonder that Seta already had a huge crush on Hotaru. It was obvious that even the raven-haired girl had some sort of liking to Seta. After all, Seta was the second cutest boy in the grade and he knew how to drive. Now that was a plus, of course, even if he wasn't allowed to drive. It was still good.

"Hey Chibiusa!" Hotaru called breaking the girl's sudden thoughts.

The pink-headed girl snapped out of her wandering thoughts before joining Hotaru near the back of the room. She had only just reached her friend when the two of them quickly heard Kei's voice speak from behind.

"Hey Chibiusa, can I talk to you in private?" He asked, pointing toward a secluded corner.

Chibiusa shrugged, deciding it wouldn't hurt to figure out what Mr. Popular wanted. She followed Kei toward the corner, managing to steal a glance at Hotaru and Seta, who remained in their spots, the two of them casting each other timid smiles.

Once they were out of earshot from the rest of the class, Kei stuck his hand into his uniform pants and pulled out a small white box with a yellow ribbon tied around it. He turned over Chibiusa's hand, gently resting the box within her palm.

Her cheeks flared a bright red, heat suddenly radiating from the back of her neck. It was weird to feel a boy's touch in her hands; it had been so long since she felt that, let alone be this close. She stared down at the box curiously, feeling her heart thump in anticipation. Kei was so close . . .

"Go ahead," He assured her. "Open it."

For a moment, Chibiusa only stared down at the gift. Her heart was pounding so hard she was surprised to see that Kei couldn't hear it.

She lifted a trembling hand and began to untie the yellow ribbon, pulled it off and lifted the lid from the box. A small gasp escaped her lips, her crimson eyes widening with surprise. Inside the box was a golden necklace with a beautiful golden and pink diamond heart hanging from the chain. It was at least twenty-four karat gold, something that would cost more then Kei's allowance.

"It's real and expensive as hell," He told her – as if she couldn't tell that already – "but it was worth it." He smiled, watching her expressions closely. "I hope you understand what I'm trying to say."

"How could – I – wha -- _it's beautiful, Kei_!" She blurted out, feeling her insides squirm uneasily.

This was it! The moment every girl in Chibiusa's grade had wanted to hear. Kei was about to ask the most important question in high school life.

She stared up at him for a moment, fighting back the mixed emotions that swirled uneasily within her. Kei took a deep breath, relaxing his panicking insides as he prepared himself for the big question.

"Chibiusa, will you be my prom date this Friday?"

At that moment, every emotion and thought were vanished into thin air.

She stared at him with a blank expression, her fingers still holding onto the jewelry box absently. She had completely forgotten about the prom and everything else in general. Now she knew why Kei went out of his way to grab her attention – even going so far into buying her a necklace!

She could only blink at him, her eyes staring intently at Kei's features. He was a cute boy after all and he _did _spend most of his time following her around – not literally of course – and yet . . .

Chibiusa shook her head suddenly, silencing her wandering thoughts. She nodded in response, silently accepting Kei's offer as an unexpected smile crept across her lips.

He returned her smile happily, picking up the necklace and placing it around her neck where it gleamed proudly. She could feel the cold metal lightly press against her skin, igniting feelings of unease and happiness inside her. Her mind instantly wandered back to her memories of a white horse with pearly white wings and sky blue hair flying beside her within the clouds. But her memory was short lived when her own eyes caught sight of Kei's. He was here right in front of her, within physical distance, within warmth, hugs . . . love. _That _wasn't a dream.

"I'll talk to you after class," He told her, his lips flashing her another beautiful smile.

She nodded again, still unable to catch her voice. When they broke away, Hotaru and Chibiusa returned to their seats. They stared at each other for a moment, and then broke out into a giggling fit. Suddenly, it felt like the whole world just got lighter.

After enduring a long morning session of nothing but work, Chibiusa finally found herself walking down the bustling halls for lunch. She wandered quietly amongst the crowd, her finger absentmindedly brushing the surface of the golden necklace in thought. If she was going to stay in this century, she might as well live it the way a teenager should.

Her head still throbbed from the never ending headache but the moment she caught sight of Kei standing at the edge of the hall her pain subsided momentarily. She couldn't understand why she felt this way for Kei. He was just another regular teenager, some one she would forget later on in life, but why did she care so much now? She never cared before, why the change?

"Hey," He smiled the moment she approached him. "I heard from Seta that your friend Hotaru agreed to go with him to the prom. Looks like we'll be double dating."

"Yeah," The pink haired girl smiled. "Looks like it."

"Come on, they're waiting for us." He held out an arm toward her, his smile never once faltering. She took his hand without hesitation, then stepped out into the warm sunlight, their fingers interlocking.

They stepped out onto the lawn where Hotaru and Seta sat under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, the teen munching down on his lunch happily. All around them Chibiusa noticed the hateful glares the girls were giving them. It was official; the two hottest guys in school were no longer on the singles market. Chibiusa and Hotaru were higher on the high school status now; no one could do anything about that.

"Hey pretty lady, what do you have for lunch?" Seta asked once Hotaru pulled out her purple bag.

She blushed brightly, unwrapping her bag and revealing a few of Makoto's homemade specialties. It seemed that Chibiusa wasn't the only one who got her lunch from Makoto's Café. Seta grinned, watching the girl pick up her chopsticks.

"Guess what Seta," Kei began, pulling out four tickets from his black plants. "I got us tickets for the movies tonight, you pretty ladies willing to join us?"

"Our first double date," Chibiusa grinned. "Sure, what about you Hotaru?"

"Okay. I'll just meet you at your house then Chibiusa."

"We'll all meet there. It's closer to the theater." Seta said, taking two tickets from Kei's hands and handing one ticket to Hotaru.

Chibiusa nodded, munching away at her lunch. Her appetite had returned to her once more and she regretted having to miss out on breakfast that morning.

When school had finally ended Chibiusa and Hotaru waited patiently by the school doors. Seta and Kei had asked them to wait for them after school so the four of them could hit the arcade and get some ice cream. The movies didn't start until eight, which left Chibiusa and Hotaru enough time left to get ready for their double date. When all the students were thinning away from the school grounds, Hotaru poked her head into the school building, trying to see if Kei and Seta were walking down the hall at that moment.

Chibiusa closed her eyes, feeling the pain of her head sear and stab endlessly at her. She suddenly felt nauseous and weak; she felt the world beneath her feet spin slowly around her. She leaned against the school wall, trying to stop herself from falling over if the spinning got too out of control.

How did things get like this anyway? Since when was she so delicate? Whatever happened to rough and tough days of the Sailor Senshi?

Ever since peace had finally blanketed their city after the strenuous battle against Galaxia, the Sailor Senshi were at last able to live out their dreams as they had so long wished. Minako Aino managed to focus in a career of acting while Ami Mizuno, the blue haired computer nerd of their group, left Japan to study in the Medical field. Rei Hino – the fiery spirited priestess – inherited her grandfather's temple after his passing and continued to care for it despite Chad having to move away to the United States. Makoto Kino opened up her own café, also known as the Rose Café, and ran a flower shop on the side – something she had dreamed of for a long time.

Chibiusa couldn't forget the outer senshi of course.

Michiru Kaioh continued to do her own thing, playing in concerts and earning money along with Haruka Tenoh, the best damn race car driver Tokyo has ever seen. Setsuna Meioh became an astronomer, gazing up at the sky through a telescope and typing away on her computer.

Needless to say, the Sailor Senshi hardly had any scout training in years, what good was it to them now that danger had finally gone away from them?

Chibiusa sighed quietly, how was it that she ended up back here in the first place?

All she had wanted to do was get her diary back, she left it behind by mistake and when she finally realized it, the Time Gates were already closing. She felt bad for Diana and Sailor Pluto; they had to come back with her so she could get her stupid little book. All this trouble just because of a forgotten diary Minako had given her.

_That was two years ago. Get over it. _She thought, feeling shame and anger prickle her heart.

She could never get over it. It was her fault that the Time Key shattered into pieces and trapping Setsuna and her in this century. She felt pity for Diana, having to be all alone in the palace without her. And she felt pity for the Sailor Senshi having to be stuck with her for an unknown period of time.

And most of all, she felt pity for herself. What would her parents say when she got back? _If _she got back.

"I'd like to get home before the movie you know," She heard Hotaru speak after a period of silence.

Chibiusa snapped back to reality, remembering why she was standing against the wall. Hotaru gave Seta an automatic smile, her fingers instantly wrapping around Seta's hands as the boys finally stepped out into the light. Hotaru was usually a shy girl, so watching her hold hands with Seta out in the open surprised Chibiusa greatly. Guess change came to Hotaru too.

When came into view, the pink haired princess felt her lips twitch into an automatic smile. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the lingering depression lift from her heart. There was something about Kei that made her fall into ease and calm. It was something that she had so desperately wanted and now, here it was.

"Let's go have some fun!" He smiled, his hand clutching gently onto Chibiusa's hand. (She blushed lightly at the contact.) "Or would you guys rather have ice cream instead?"

"Hell, I wouldn't mind having some ice cream before I whoop your ass in that new Sailor V game," Seta grinned tauntingly.

"Excuse me? Exactly _who _will be whooping _who's _ass?"

"Are you challenging me dear Kei? Well then, I say _bring it on_!"

Kei smirked, throwing his bag over his shoulder with his free hand and led the gang out of the school grounds. Chibiusa couldn't help but to smile as she allowed him to lead the way. She glanced over her shoulder automatically, as if to make sure that Hotaru and Seta were following them when her crimson eyes quickly caught sight of something.

The look of Hotaru's blushing face as Seta whispered something into her ear made Chibiusa's heart skip. The gleam in Hotaru's violet eyes showed something there that hadn't always been -- happiness. For once, Chibiusa could see Hotaru's true blissful happiness. She smiled. This was good for Hotaru she was always alone. Maybe now she would understand what the rest of the Senshi mean by fighting for love.

Chibiusa's smile faltered instantly, the horrible "L" word echoing in her mind. _Love._ It was always love. Love was just as Heavenly as it was Hell. Love could be passion and love could be torture, it had both sides to it. It was the hero and the villain, just how ironic could that be?

She lowered her head a bit, feeling the heavy pain of heart ache and depression weigh down on her. She felt something squeeze her hand gently, snapping her out of her emotional slump.

She stared up into those chocolate brown eyes; Kei was there now. He would always be there; he was real, in her arms and not a dream.

_Far from a dream._ She found herself thinking.

Before they arrived into the Crown Arcade, the four teenagers stopped by the Ice Cream parlor for a shared sundae. They ate from the large bowl with different scoops of flavored ice cream and toppings. They laughed and joked around then after finishing the bowl clean; the four of them headed off toward the Crown Arcade for a little fun.

The four of them laughed all the way up to the Crown Arcade and climbed up the steps when Chibiusa caught a glimpse of a group of familiar people. All the blood drained from her face, it was Usagi and Mamoru playing a racing game with a solemn faced Haruka and an elegant looking Michiru.

The four of them had apparently got off work early and now, Chibiusa was about to walk into the same Arcade where her future parents were having their own fun. If they saw her holding hands with Kei, she had no doubt that Usagi would bombarded her with stupid, embarrassing questions. Worse yet, Mamoru would probably start doing a background check on Kei!

Kei grabbed onto the handle of the Arcade, ready to pull open the door when Chibiusa snatched his hand away.

"Wait," She exclaimed thinking fast and glancing at the window. "I-I think we should do something else."

"What?" They chimed in unison.

"I-I mean y-you know . . . eh . . ." She trailed off, her eyes widening as the group rose up from their racing game. "Let's go!"

She grabbed onto Kei's arm and pulled him back down the stairs quickly. Hotaru and Seta followed them into the alley beside the Crown Arcade, glancing at each other in confusion. They stood outside the alley, unsure whether or not they should follow Chibiusa and Kei.

"So what are we going to do today, Mamoru?" Chibiusa heard the blonde haired woman ask.

The pink princess gasped in horror. She grabbed onto Hotaru and Seta's shirt and pulled them into the alley. The two of them yelped in surprise, tripping over their own feet and fell to the ground with Kei and Chibiusa. The four of them stood still, hearing Usagi and Mamoru walk past the alleyway, consumed in their own conversation and the game with Michiru and Haruka.

Chibiusa sighed in relief, hearing their footsteps subside into the distance. Suddenly, she felt her face burn with heat.

With all the trouble of worrying what Usagi and Mamoru might think when they saw her, she didn't realize that Kei had fallen right on top of her and was now staring back at her with flushed cheeks. She blinked, feeling her heart pound against her rib cage with excitement. She was never been in this predicament before.

Kei leaned closer to her face, his cheeks growing a deeper shade of pink. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, their hearts beating uncontrollably in their chests and their minds falling blank of thought. Closer and closer their faces became until they could feel each other's breath just inches away from their lips. Just a little more . . .

"Just a little more . . ." Seta grinned devilishly. "Don't forget to slip your tongue in too Kei."

"Seta!" Hotaru cried, hiding her embarrassment behind her palms. "Stop watching!"

"But it's just getting good!"

Kei snapped back to reality, his face growing as red as Chibiusa's eyes. He jumped back onto his feet, handing Chibiusa a hand then lifted her off from the ground. The two of them were bright red with embarrassment; they had completely forgotten that Hotaru and Seta were still with them.

"I-I think I should just take Chibiusa home," Hotaru stammered, peeking through her fingers to see if the coast was clear. "It's getting late anyway."

"Alright. We still have the movies tonight anyway," Seta gave Kei a very mischievous smirk. "Maybe Romeo here can finally get a little _something_, eh?"

"W-what?! Shut up Seta!" Kei snapped angrily, although his face flushed bright red again. "We'll see you two tonight then."

Chibiusa and Hotaru watched as Seta broke into a run down the sidewalk, Kei yelling and chasing him from behind. Chibiusa stared back at Hotaru, her cheeks growing pink again. Hotaru kept her mouth shut, but gave Chibiusa a similar mischievous smile that Seta had just given Kei. The pink princess sighed; she had a feeling that Hotaru wasn't going to let this one go.

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	2. No Knights in Shining Armor

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Chapter Two:**

_No Knights in Shining Armor

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It didn't take long for Chibiusa to finally reached her house. She was thankful for that. After everything that happened today, she wanted nothing more than to just relax until the movies tonight.

It was too close, way too close. If Kei had given her that kiss then . . .

She shuddered at the thought.

She waved goodbye to her companion before turning her attention toward the house door, her fingers already grabbing hold of her house keys from her bag. She wondered absently if Usagi and Mamoru made it back home before she did or if they were still out on their stroll when her eyes caught hold of something strange.

She stopped in front of the white door, staring in puzzlement as she noticed it slightly ajar. Were Usagi and Mamoru home already? She pushed the door open with a finger, watching it slowly swing open and her eyes grew wide with shock.

What she saw her shocked her to no end. The normally neat house had suddenly become a complete mess. Glass littered across the hall; picture frames were tossed carelessly off the walls or hung crookedly from their nails. Usagi's recently washed dishes were scattered all over the floor, broken in different places. The couch in the living room was turned over and all the pillows from the love seat and couch were thrown carelessly around the living room. The TV was turned over on the white rug; CDs, movies and music scattered all over the living room ground.

Chibiusa stopped dead in her tracks, hearing noises and thumps from the second floor. She quietly and cautiously walked up the stairs, making sure not to step on any of Usagi's picture frames. She climbed the last step, pressing her back against the railing as she heard voices coming from her bedroom.

"Damn it! Where are the goods?" A man's voice said, tossing something against the wall where it shattered.

"Shh, you don't want us to get caught do you?" came another man's voice. "We already got the jewelry, let's just get our asses out of here before the fucking cops come and bust us!"

"Hold up, what's this? A brooch?"

Chibiusa gasped, pressing her hand against the red bow of her uniform. She had completely forgotten her sailor compact, after having such a long period of peace, it seemed unnecessary to start wearing it again. But now, it was in the hands of these two robbers and without it, there was no way she was going to get back home.

"Did you hear that?"

"Fuck it, take the damn brooch or leave it, let's go! He's been waiting for us for the past hour already!"

Chibiusa quickly walked down the stairs, hearing the two men shift places in her bedroom. She ran towards the open door, not caring whether or not they heard the crunching of the glass beneath her feet. Hope rose in her heart; she was close to the door! She was going to run free! She was going to tell the Sailor Senshi or the police about the robbers! She was saved!

She yelled out in surprise, feeling someone's arms wrap around her torso and a black gloved hand pressed against her mouth. The man lifted her up the air and her frantically kicking feet slammed the door shut. Her screams were muffled, his grip around her was too strong and no matter how hard she wriggled for freedom, she just couldn't break free.

"Now what's a pretty little girl like you doing in a trashy place like this?" whispered the sickening voice of a man into her ear. "Don't you know that bad things can happen at home?"

Tears began to build up within Chibiusa's eyes. Her heart beat uncontrollably in her chest; her mind pounded with pain and her body trembled with fear.

What were they going to do with her now?

The man turned her around toward the stairs just as the two men ran frantically down the stairs. She caught sight of their black pistols and their bags loaded with jewelry from their house. She couldn't hold back her muffled scream that escaped her lips at the sight of them, tears already streaming down her face.

She was afraid of what they were going to do to her. Were they going to kill her? Were they going to kidnap her? There was no one to hear them; there was no one to save her. She was alone in her own home with three complete strangers.

The man inhaled her pink hair deeply, letting out a shuttering breath as though her scent alone was pure ecstasy. He stared back at his men, giving them a cold look that demanded them to move out of the way.

"Make it quick will you!" the man to the left said. "Or I'll personally shoot her for you!"

"I'll take care of her, don't worry."

The men left out the back, leaving Chibiusa to squirm and yell, but the man's grip was too tight. He carried her up the stairs like nothing; it was like he had his own super human strength.

He kicked open Mamoru and Usagi's bedroom door, tossing the frightened teenager onto the bed. He pulled off the blankets, wrapping it around the squirming princess and taped her mouth shut.

Tears streamed down her cheeks like flowing rivers, she begged him through the tape, but everything came out into muffles. He forcefully pushed her back, jumped right on top of her and ripped off her shirt. She cried out again, struggling beneath his weight as he tore away at her school uniform. He lightly touched her smooth stomach, letting out another exhale of ecstasy.

He leaned down, his lips kissing her bare stomach in soft little pecks; his thumbs dug down into her waist, forcefully pulling her skirt off.

_Oh my god!_ She cried, struggling and screaming. _Some one help me! Some one please! Usagi! Mamoru! Helios! Kei!_

"I'm going to enjoy this," He grinned, his tongue licking from her belly button to her thigh. "It's just too bad you won't."

He jumped back up on the bed, grabbed the alarm clock that stood on the nightstand and grinned back down at the pink haired teen. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body trembled uncontrollably and the striking pain within her mind made everything unfocused. He leaned down close to her face, their lips locked into an unfavorable kiss, his tongue forcing entry into her mouth.

She struggled against him, but he pulled away quickly and the last thing she felt was something cold and hard smashing against her head.

And into the darkness she fell.


	3. Memories best Forgotten

**

* * *

Chapter Three:**

_Memories best Forgotten

* * *

_

Chibiusa woke up with a start shrouded in darkness of a bedroom. She winced in pain; her aching head throbbed as she pressed her hand over a bleeding wound. Confusion and curiosity swirled endlessly within her mind as her eyes regained focused of the world around her, her mind struggling relentlessly to remember exactly what had happened or why she was in a bedroom at all. Hazy memories flashed before her eyes. Something about a man . . . something about a brooch . . . panic and fear . . . Her head seared painfully once more.

She sat up in bed, automatically wincing again as another throb pained her. Even if she couldn't remember what had happened, she couldn't help but feel something tug at her insides. She was forgetting something, the darkness reminded her of it. She had plans today – she knew that much – but _what_?

"_Ugh_," She groaned, forcing herself off the edge of the bed where she saw her school clothes scattered all over the floor. She glanced down at her body, suddenly realizing that she was only left in her underwear, covered in something black and dry -- something that felt unpleasant on top of her skin.

Her long pink hair was loose from the odango shape she always had them in and fell down her back like a beautiful river of pink. She stared down at her hands; they were completely coated in something black, it was even in her hair and on her face.

She thought for a moment, her memory fragmented into nothing more than a massive blur of confusion. "Forget it, I can't remember," She sighed in defeat, her hand automatically brushing against the necklace.

Suddenly, in a moment of revelation, the memory of this morning flashed before her eyes as she remembered. "The movies!" She cried, struggling off the bed in a frantic manner.

She stumbled out of the bedroom as quickly as she could, her mind already ignoring the sticky discomfort she felt on her skin. She hurried into her own messy room, tossing the junk the robbers had tossed carelessly on the floor and frantically picked out clothes for the date. She dashed into the bathroom, flipping on the lights when her eyes suddenly caught sight of her reflection.

An ear-piercing scream echoed throughout the bathroom suddenly.

"B-blood!" She cried out with wide horrified eyes into the mirror. "Oh my god, whose blood!"

Her entire face was coated in dry blood that oozed from the wound at the side of her head. Her cotton candy pink hair was coated in a dark shade of red as though she had danced under a fountain of blood. Her underwear, which was once white, was now a deep crimson and her skin was a light shade of red.

She felt her heart race as panic began to rise within her. She had no idea what was going on, or how it was possible for her to be coated in layers of blood but something in her mind told her to push it aside. A strange part of her soothed her panicking heart, quietly urging her to focus on getting clean, to get ready for the date.

She snapped out of her sudden shock at the memory of the date. She really had no time to think or at least, that strange side of her told her not to worry about it. She had to get ready.

* * *

Chibiusa found herself wrapping her arms around Kei, giving him a wide, brilliant smile of joy. The group had finally made their way toward the movie theaters; chatting and laughing together as they discussed various topics that really held none of Chibiusa's attention.

In truth, the girl's mind was elsewhere. She couldn't forget how she spent almost an hour scrubbing the red out of her pink hair and out of her skin. In the end, she could never get the color out of her hair and even now as they walked along the sidewalk – whenever a street light flashed on them -- her hair would gleam a tint of red. A part of her did like the color but the way it was dyed was what unsettled her.

As they walked on, they passed a house surrounded by police and crowds of curious on lookers. Red and blue lights flashed from the ambulance and members of the ambulance carried away something in a black bag. The four of them fell silent eying the black body bag as they continued on.

_Some one was murdered._

Chibiusa could felt an uneasy knot grow in her throat and a strange guilt weighed heavy in her heart. Something did go wrong through the hours that she was out cold, but there went that part of her mind again, setting the unsettling thoughts aside.

_Focus on the date. _She found herself thinking. _Forget about everything else._ She sighed heavily.

* * *

The pink princess groaned in annoyance, feeling someone shake her awake from her deep slumber. Her eyes snapped open when she remembered that she was supposed to be watching a movie. Her red eyes came face to face with Kei's brown eyes, shock quickly washing over her as she noticed the uneasy look in his eyes.

Hotaru and Seta stood behind him, staring back at Chibiusa as though she were about to go mad on them at any second. She looked around her surroundings; they weren't in the theater anymore. In fact, she was sprawled on the ground just down the block from her house.

"W-what happened?" She managed to ask.

"We were walking out of the theater; Seta and I were talking about the movie when you suddenly collapsed to the floor. You weren't out long thankfully but . . . are you okay?" Kei said, kneeling beside the girl. "It was weird; you were fine a moment ago."

"What?" She stared at him in shock, weren't they going to the movies?

She stared back at the other two behind Kei, hoping that they would explain to her what had happened. But neither of them said anything, they just watched her cautiously and turned their heads to the street when a car drove by.

"I-I guess I'm just tired," She stammered, pushing herself from the ground. "I should go home."

"I'll take you there." Hotaru said, giving Seta a worried glance before letting go of his hand.

"You sure you're okay?" Kei whispered in reassurance, but Chibiusa only nodded her head. He sighed heavily, giving her a kiss on the forehead before parting ways with Seta.

They walked down the remaining block, Hotaru casting occasional worried glances at her friend while Chibiusa looked over her shoulder to see if Seta and Kei were still in view. They were silent through the entire walk, Chibiusa had nothing to say and Hotaru was afraid that she would drop again.

She thought for a moment, her memories forming into a blur once more. She couldn't remember walking away from her chair, she couldn't remember how she got drenched in blood and she couldn't even remember getting into the damn movie theater in the first place!

What the hell was going on? Was she that out of reality that everything she did went unseen in her eyes?

Chibiusa wrapped her arms around her body, her mind seared with pain again and something like guilt swirled within the pit of her stomach. She felt there was something wrong with her, like there was a secret that even she didn't know.

"Chibiusa! Hotaru!"

The two teens looked up at the crowed of people. The police blocked off the area from the onlookers while they walked in and out with evidence from the house. So Usagi and Mamoru finally returned home from their day.

Detectives swarmed the place; asking questions to any possible witnesses and looking for clues that maybe the cleaners might have missed. Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Senshi ran up toward the teens relieved that Chibiusa and Hotaru were not caught up in the mess.

"What's going on?" Hotaru asked them the moment they were in ear shot.

"Robbery and murder," Makoto said, her eyes glancing suspiciously back at the house. "They found the master bedroom covered in blood. The walls and sheets were just smeared in it. It makes me sick thinking the murderer got away with it."

Chibiusa's face paled a sickening white. She stared at Makoto with wide eyes of disbelief. Blood all over the room? Was that why she was drenched in it?

Usagi burst into tears, wrapping her arms around Chibiusa and wailed out how grateful she was that the blood was not Chibiusa's. Haruka and Rei shared Makoto's suspicions, their own eyes narrowing at the thought of murder, but what they felt tingling up their spines was something dark – a certain level of dark energy to be specific.

Minako on the other hand, squinted her eyes at Chibiusa, her fingers running through the teen's shade of red locks. She stared down at it hard, the flashing lights of the ambulance made it hard for her to see it, but by the look of Minako's face, Chibiusa knew all too well that this blonde Sailor Senshi of love could tell the color was different. She glanced up at the princess, letting the red hair fall through her fingers like silk.

"Where will you stay Usagi?" Haruka asked curiously. "The police will keep your house until they clean up all the evidence."

"We'll just stay in a hotel for now." Mamoru sighed, holding Usagi's hand tightly. "I'm still on good terms with my old manager; maybe he can give one to us for less."

"We can't even get our clothes from the rooms, everything is evidence." Usagi shook her head in disbelief. "They've questioned us so many times already; Mamoru and I weren't home and apparently neither was Chibiusa. The neighbors didn't even see anything; they didn't even hear anything of what happened. Everything was silent."

"I guess no school for you now, Chibiusa." Minako grinned, elbowing the princess lightly.

_No more Kei either._ She thought, playing with the necklace absentmindedly.

Later that night, the trio drove off to the hotel in Mamoru's car. They spoke nothing about the murder in their house; of course, neither of them had any clue what exactly happened. The more Chibiusa thought about what happened in the bedroom, the painful her mind ached and the heavier the guilt in her heart weighed.

It was a secret deep within herself, one that even her _own _mind would allow her to remember.

When they arrived in their rooms, Usagi and Mamoru stayed up later, talking about the crime scene and what could anyone be after. Six people were murdered in one day and in some way, they felt as though these murders were linked to each other.

Chibiusa dug into her bag for some clean underwear, which was the only thing the police and investigators let them pack, and went off into the bathroom in silence. Usagi and Mamoru were too preoccupied to notice the shade of red that coated Chibiusa's hair and no matter how many times she washed it, the stained blood never left.

She climbed into her bed afterwards, snuggling beneath the sheets for some much-needed comfort as her mind wandered back into the dark depths of her memories. She would have a few days of no school, moments she could use to think about everything that was weighing her down into a pool of depression and maybe come up with a plan for it. Maybe she could burn away all hope of her long lost love from returning and rid herself of the guilt. Maybe with her few days away from Hotaru, Kei and Seta, she would be able to get back on track from the life she had disconnected from.

* * *

**A/N: **Ummm . . . I think I changed this chapter a lot. I forgot though, but I don't think anyone will notice too much _-sweat drops- _Anyway, I don't normally ask for reviews but it helps to get some advice.

So R&R Please!


	4. An Unexpected Surprise

**

* * *

Chapter Four: **

_An Unexpected Surprise

* * *

_

The next day rolled in rather quickly. Chibiusa was awakened by the sound of a slamming door, which meant someone had left the hotel room to go to work or to check on the house. The pink princess sat up in her bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes and searched around for some sort of clock. Sitting on the nightstand beside her was a small clock with azure numbers illuminating obnoxiously against a black background, its numbers reading twelve o'clock precisely. She threw off her covers and silently left her bedroom. With the run's rays engulfing the whole hotel room, Chibiusa's once pink hair flashed a distinct tangerine color. She had no doubt in her mind that if Usagi saw that tangerine head of hers she'd freak.

But it was neither Usagi nor Mamoru that stood in the kitchen making breakfast; in fact, it was the tan skinned woman that Chibiusa knew so well. With her dark ruby eyes transfixed intently on the cooking eggs, she hardly noticed the teenager standing quietly in the hallway. Setsuna's long green hair swayed freely behind her as she bent down to grab a washed pot that Usagi borrowed from Makoto. The poor Guardian of Time was stuck babysitting the princess while Usagi and Mamoru went out to do what they did best: mingle. Or at least, that's what Chibiusa thought.

Chibiusa ran back into her room, realizing that Setsuna discovering the color of her hair would be twice as worse as her younger aged parents. She dug into her bag for the pink cap she had bought a few months before and began to undo her hair. She rolled it up into a bun, tying it tightly and threw on the pink cap. She pulled out her clothes she wore from last night and casually walked out of the room. She made a loud yawn, pretending to have just woken up and dressed.

Setsuna spun around curiously, a surprisingly gentle smile spreading across her pink lips. "It's late," She began, turning her attention back to the stove. "But I would expect that after what happened yesterday. Usagi and Mamoru went down to the police station, the police found new evidence."

Chibiusa stopped in her tracks, blood quickly draining from her face and leaving her a sickly shade of eggshell white. A part of her body cringed guilty at the sound of Setsuna's words, yet she didn't understand why it bothered her so much. _It's nothing_. She found herself thinking, despite the strange twinge of guilt that tugged at her. _Don't worry too much about it._

"O-Oh, really?" She stammered. _Let it go. Let it go. _

Setsuna went on; unaware of Chibiusa's sudden stop in the middle of the living room or the pale color of her face.

"They'll be back in a few hours; in the meanwhile, they asked me to watch on you in case you woke up when they were away. I'm making bacon and eggs for you. Is that alright?"

"Y-yeah..." She replied quietly, that little voice in her head easing her unsettled thoughts. "Yeah, of course."

She sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the TV screen while she heard Setsuna's spatula scrape against the pan. Neither of them spoke, Chibiusa was lost in her uncertain guilt while Setsuna was too busy concentrating on not burning the breakfast. After a few minutes of silence, Setsuna finally poured the eggs into a plate and dropped strips of bacon into the already greasy pan. She glanced over at the silent princess, her brows frowning at the cap.

"It's rude to wear a hat indoors," She stated in an almost mindless manner.

_Nosey guardian._ The princess hissed in her mind, her attention focused on the Time guardian through the corner of her eyes. "Oh, it was just lying around. I wanted to try something new."

"Funny," Setsuna frowned, flipping the bacon. "I don't recall you saying that back home."

_Nosey, nosey, nosey guardian . . ._

"That was two years ago. I can change my opinion can't I?"

"Of course, it's just a little disappointing."

I'll show you disappointing you fucking skank—

Chibiusa blushed suddenly, her eyes widening as the horrid realization flashed through her mind. _Did I just think that . . .?_

"You are a princess, Small Lady. I know you haven't forgotten your manners," Replied the green haired woman, pushing the sizzling bacon onto the plate. "You look silly with your hair tucked that way."

Chibiusa lowered her head, harshly silencing her thoughts as her eyes fixed to the ground, the sun's light bouncing off her necklace as a reminder of Seta's plans with her that Friday.

"Breakfast."

The pink princess rose up from the couch, following Setsuna to the round table and took her spot in front of the plate. Her stomach growled loudly, aching for the sweet taste of eggs and that sizzling bacon. Setsuna narrowed her dark red eyes, watching as the princess quietly cut up her eggs and ate in thought. Chibiusa felt the wave of anger quickly wash over her, her own eyes catching sight of Setsuna's feet standing beside her. She grew irritated knowing the Sailor Senshi refused to sit let alone walk back into the kitchen. She only stood there, her eyes gazing intently on the princess with an expecting gleam. It was almost as if she was waiting for Chibiusa to do something.

Chibiusa suddenly dropped her fork and knife with a loud clank against the plate. She glared up angrily at the silent woman beside her. "What?" She snapped furiously.

For a moment, she looked taken a back by the sudden outburst, but she quickly masked her reaction and allowed a gentle smile to grace her face. She kept silent and returned to the kitchen moments later, leaving the princess to fume angrily in her chair.

_Nosey guardians such as herself should know better than to stare. _Her mind hissed in irritability, her fork viciously stabbing away at her breakfast.

After silently cursing out the Time Guardian, Chibiusa found herself marching down the hotel hallway, unsure of exactly why she felt a flaming outrage towards the woman. A part of herself felt that she knew Setsuna meant no harm, that she was only watching after the princess, but another part of her raged angrily against it. That part of her spat horribly, viciously, murderously at the thought of the guardian.

_I can take care of myself._ She thought bitterly, crossing her arms while waiting for the elevator. _I can protect myself. I don't need anyone. Especially—_

Her mind seared painfully, throbbing against her skull as she winced at the thought. Even the very mention of _his _name brought a sickening disgust in the very pit of her stomach. She shook herself from her train of thought, marching out of the lobby the moment the elevator doors had finally opened and stormed out into the beautiful sunlit day.

She was immediately consumed within her own raging thoughts that she hardly noticed her nails digging half crescents into the palm of her skin. She thought back to the Sailor Senshi, arguing with herself about the good and bad things about their company. She debated in silence the difference between Seta and _him_, but found herself wincing in irritable pain every time she tried to think of his name. She didn't realize where she was going, her feet dragging her automatically along the park path as she thought. She didn't even realize that her own hands were wringing the bottom of her skirt, twisting the hems in an unleashed rage of hatred.

"It's been six years already! Why do I even care!?" She yelled suddenly, ripping the bottom of her skirt—pain stabbed her mind again. "Why do I care! He's probably already found someone anyway! _Ugh_, what's wrong with me?" She exhaled heavily, her hand pushing off her cap as she ran her fingers through her red hair. "Why does it bother me so much?" She snapped the rubber band from her bun, her hair instantly cascading down her backside like a shimmering waterfall of tangerine red. A wave of confusion and hate washed over her body, making her fall to her hands and knees and pounded an outraged fist into the ground—a furious scream escaping her lips.

She stopped for a moment, dropping her head onto the cap with tears streaming down her face. She stood there, looking more like a crouched wounded animal than a frustrated teenage girl did. Her red hair hid her teary face, blocking away the warm sunlight from her sight and spread across the concrete ground like little tiny red rivers.

For a moment, she thought she heard someone approach her. She wanted to raise her head to see who it was that watched her, but at the same time, she didn't care. She could careless if it was Setsuna or any of the other Sailor Senshi, she didn't care if it was Seta or Kei that saw her crouched on the ground like this. That part of her that told her to move on, to let go, that little voice in her mind that cursed out Setsuna was telling her to ignore the curious presence and it begged—begged the princess to release her frustration and hatred against whoever dared to get near her.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here?" said an unfamiliar voice of a man. "Looks like she's lost her way."

"I think she needs help, what you think?" said another unfamiliar voice.

"Oh I very much agree with you."

Chibiusa closed her eyes, allowing a strange hungry grin spread across her tear stained face. She could feel her heart ramming heavily against her chest and her mind striking with unbearable pain. It consumed her, tugged at her, adrenaline and hunger flooding instantly throughout her body. Her mind went blank the moment she felt unfamiliar hands grab a hold of her shoulders and rolled her against her back.

She stared up at the two men; their faces over shadowed by the blinding bright sun over head. She could hear them laughing or was it her laughing? Through the shadow of their hoods, Chibiusa could see their eyes. Those brown eyes suddenly filled with fear. Then, she could feel herself jumping onto them until all awareness faded from her.

* * *

At Rei's temple, most of the Sailor Senshi gathered around in the table. They all glanced at each other in curiosity, wondering what news Usagi and Mamoru brought from the police. Setsuna was the last to join them. She told the others that Chibiusa stormed out of the hotel in anger and that Setsuna didn't have enough time to tell the pink haired princess about the meeting today. After Setsuna was done with her story, Usagi and Mamoru appeared on the top of the steps, approaching the others with neutral faces.

They all rushed out of the temple and surrounded them, bombarding the future king and queen with questions about the new evidence from the crime scene. There was a moment of silence where Usagi and Mamoru stared at the ground with troubled expressions, then, after a while of internal conflict; they finally looked back at their friends.

"The police identified whose blood it was in our bedroom," Mamoru said his voice low. "The victims were brothers: Akito, Raidon, and Masakazu Kobayashi..." He broke off for a moment, his eyes instantly breaking all contact with the others

"And?" Makoto pressed on gently; feeling there was more to the news.

"And...Chibiusa's." Usagi shuddered, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "She was there."

Minako, Makoto and Rei gasped in shock. Setsuna's eyes narrowed, she knew something was wrong that morning and now she understood what it was. Haruka and Michiru stared back at Usagi and Mamoru with wide eyes. Usagi sniffed her eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down her face.

"She was there!" She cried out, her hands flying to her face. "The blood on the bed was hers! Hers! I should have been there! We should have gone back home! She could have _died_!"

Mamoru wrapped his arms around her, his eyes glassy with tears but he kept strong before them. Minako glanced down at her hand, remembering the night before when she let Chibiusa's hair slip through her fingers. She noticed something strange about it, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It was darker then normal, but it was too dark to tell, how could she be sure it wasn't just her imagination?

"I wonder if that's why she was mad?" Minako blurted out, remembering Setsuna's story.

"What?" Usagi sniffed, looking back at Setsuna. "She was mad?"

"Furious actually," Setsuna shook her head with a sigh. "Something doesn't feel right." Her eyes narrowed at the thought. "I feel our time of peace drawing to an end."

* * *

Chibiusa groaned, feeling her muscles ache as though she had just ran twenty miles nonstop. Her head throbbed painfully and the world spun uncomfortably around her. She felt nauseous, hungry and strangely satisfied all at once. She opened her eyes, everything focusing around her and she realized she was still lying on the park ground. Her strawberry bangs fell before her eyes, momentarily catching her attention. She gasped, grabbing a handful of hair and pulling it in front of her, her eyes widening with shock. Her hair was redder than it was last night, now it was the deep shade of strawberry red and oddly smelled like the fruit itself or maybe that was her mind.

"O-oh my god!" She gasped; grabbing more chunks of her hair and gasped again. "OH MY GOD!"

She jumped to her feet, nearly losing her balance as the world spun around her again. She stood there for a moment, her red eyes wandering around fearfully. Her hat was missing and she couldn't remember where she last saw it. She looked around the floor carefully, trying her best to focus the spinning world, but the more she looked the dizzier she felt. Her legs trembled weakly and her stomach growled angrily, stinging her with pangs of hunger. _How long was I out? _She found herself thinking.

The sky was still bright blue, the sun still loomed over head, she couldn't have been out long?

Chibiusa looked around the park, noticing that she wasn't where she was before. She remembered falling to her knees and throwing her hat on the ground, but everything darkened after that. She couldn't remember anything but laughter and a great feeling of satisfaction. Deep within her she felt both the pains of guilt, yet another part of her continued to dance and cheer happily. What did she do? She sighed, the wave of exhaustion washing over her. She was so tired; it felt as though she really did run twenty miles without a stop. She fell back to the floor, her hair draping over the sides of her face again.

"I'm going crazy." She whispered to herself, the soft wind blowing through her hair. "I can't remember what I did...Why do I feel like laughing? What did I do?"

She wrapped her arms around her body, feeling Kei's gift shift above her skin. For a moment, she thought back to Kei and his smiles for her. She missed him strangely; she missed his company and his warmth. She missed how his hand felt within her own and the sound of his voice whispering into her ear.

_But I only saw him yesterday..._ She thought, her eyes drooping sleepily. _Almost a day ago..._

"Obsessed." Her own voice whispered. Or was it somebody elses? "Weak. Obsessed."

_I'm not obsessed. I just don't want to be alone._

"Weak." Her lips whispered again, her head slipping forward. Yes, it definitely wasn't her voice.

_I'm not weak. I'm not obsessed. You aren't weak for loving anyone._

"Yes you are...love is what betrayed you...love is what destroyed us...you...and me...love cannot control us."

_I'm going crazy._

"Chibiusa?"

Chibiusa's eyes snapped open, ripping her away from her thoughts. She spun around, her eyes widening in surprise. A familiar person, a woman to be exact, with short sapphire locks of shimmering hair resting softly against her pale skin, and friendly dark sorrowful blue eyes stared at the pink princess with a hint of curiosity and concern. Her arms were wrapped around a pile of books with her glasses clutched tightly in her grasp, suddenly striking a memory deep within her mind. The princess knew this woman two all too well she realized, this was the Sailor Senshi who had left for America two years ago.

Ami Mizuno had returned at last.

* * *

**A/N: **R&R Please! It makes me happy -_tear-_ No seriously, it does.


	5. To be or Not to be Slightly Insane?

**

* * *

Chapter Five:**

_To be or Not to be Slightly Insane?

* * *

_

Ami Mizuno stared at the pink princess with eyes shrouded in curiosity and surprise. It wasn't the fact that they hadn't seen each other in two years, it was more along the lines that Ami was surprised to see the girl crouched on the floor looking like a wounded animal. And it was also the fact that Chibiusa's hair was the color of bright strawberries. She was about to open her mouth to respond when suddenly the teen bolted from the floor and pounced onto the blue senshi, nearly knocking her books and glasses right out of her grasp.

Ami was one of the few Senshi Chibiusa was able to get along very well with. The blue sailor senshi understood how it felt to be weak among the rest of the sailors; she was the only one who really understood what it felt like to be alone. Ami juggled her books around, skillfully managing to return the girl's hug before they pulled away from their embrace. She gave the girl a calm, happy smile – although it wasn't enough to hide her curiosity and already Chibiusa could sense the questions that was bubbling inside the woman.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm a teenager right?" Chibiusa shrugged, feeling uncomfortable in Ami's stare. "Dying hair is common."

And just as she expected, the bluenette chuckled sweetly. "It looks nice, Chibiusa, but did Usagi and Mamoru approve of this?"

"I'm sixteen years old. I don't think I need permission from my future parents to dye my hair." She snapped unintentionally. She didn't mean to sound so annoyed, but there was just something about hearing her future parents names that made her feel, well, irritated. "Besides," she added, crossing her arms for extra defiant emphasis. "They're not my parents _yet_."

There was a moment of silence in which the two Sailor Senshi stared at each other: a set of red eyes seemingly to glare with a hint of irritation and a set of deep navy harboring a look of complete surprise. It was a no brainer that Ami was surprised, maybe even shocked and confused, that Chibiusa – of all people – would snap at her in that way. But this wasn't the time for lectures from the blue haired soldier or questions for that matter. The princess sighed heavily, dropping her arms from her chest.

"We should go to Rei's Temple. I know everyone will be so excited to see that you're back Ami. And then maybe you can tell us all about your trip?" She smiled happily, despite the irritation that continued to linger. She really _was _happy that Ami was back but . . .

For a moment there was silence between them, only their eyes focused on each other until finally Ami smiled again. "Of course." She replied with a quick nod.

Chibiusa returned her smile before the two made their way out of the park and back onto the streets.

* * *

She hadn't forgotten about her missing hat or the fact that she was crouched in the middle of the park with no memory of how she got there. She couldn't stop herself from thinking about it, she wanted to know what she was forgetting but that part of her, that strange unknown voice that kept pestering her mind pushed the thoughts aside. Easing her guilt, ceasing her curiosity, and so she walked along side with Ami while the woman spoke fondly of her experiences of America.

Ami went on—talking about the many souvenirs she bought, the people she met, all the clothes that Minako would definitely steal the moment Ami brought her gifts over to the Temple—it would have been fascinating news. Especially about Ami's experience with a different school system and lack of uniforms in America, but this was all old news for Chibiusa. After all, she _did _come from the future—a princess from the future—to be exact. She already knew all about America.

Without realizing it, the princess had led the woman straight into Rose Café where Hotaru, Seta and Kei sat together in the farthest corner. The three of them were chatting about the events from yesterday and even laughed about things from the movie. (A movie that Chibiusa had missed by falling asleep before it even began.)

Ami took a look around the café, obviously impressed and overjoyed by the rather large building lined with cute little chairs and tables covered in green cushions, frilly white tablecloth and various colored roses that were laid in a vase on each table. She had received letters from Matoko about her successful Café, but she had to admit, she never thought the café looked as cute as it did. Even the walls of the café carried a level of "cute" with it's light pink coloring on the upper half of the wall and a light green coloring just underneath. (Both colors separated by a thin white bored that went horizontally across the wall.) There was even a light pink carpet that covered the entire floor of the café.

And there, standing just behind the counter was the familiar, tall Sailor Senshi of Jupiter with her chestnut locks of wavy hair resting casually on her shoulders while she cleaned the counter with a wet rag. She hummed to herself quietly; her attention completely focused on her work while her customers enjoyed themselves in the corner—something Chibiusa took note of.

"Matoko seems to be enjoying herself." Ami smiled sweetly, unintentionally grabbing the attention of the brunette.

Matoko quickly spun around, her emerald eyes widening in shock as she looked the blue haired senshi over. "Ami!" She exclaimed joyously, lifting the counter top to embrace her long time friend. "Oh I've missed you so much! How was America? When did you get back? Why didn't you call us? We could have all met you at the airport!"

So many questions, such little time and only so much breath to say it all. Before Chibiusa or Ami knew it, Matoko was asking Ami to spill every little detail that she hadn't poured into her letters. She was overjoyed to see her friend again, she even forgot that Chibiusa was standing next to the Sailor Senshi in the first place. When the brunette finally caught her breath, she gave Ami a bright warming smile and flicked back her locks of hair from her shoulders.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away," She laughed. "I'm sure you'll tell us all about it later."

"Of course," Ami nodded, but her sapphire eyes quickly gazed around the café with sudden interest. "I'm impressed Matoko. You've done so well with your café!"

The green Sailor Senshi's expression immediately changed from joyous excitement to that of deep determination. "Yeah. I know it's been only two years but business is pretty great! Teenagers always come here since the café is pretty close to the High School; sometimes we get a full line for lunch on busy school days." Suddenly, Matoko's determination melted away as she drew closer toward the blue Sailor Senshi, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "Have you heard about the robbery in Usagi and Mamoru's house yet?"

Ami's face quickly darkened and she grew strangely quiet and solemn. It wasn't like her to look as serious as she did, but no one had told her about what happened. She drew closer to Matoko expecting an explanation, but Matoko's gaze flew toward the trio in the corner—almost as though she were making sure that the customers could not hear them. "The police managed to identify the three victims murdered, but Usagi and Mamoru mentioned there being a fourth person involved."

At this, Chibiusa quickly dropped her gaze from the two women; her eyes falling strangely fixated to the carpeted floor. She felt the annoying twinge of guilt pick at her heart again, this time that voice in her head did not push it aside.

"The police believe Chibiusa is a suspect."

"CHIBIUSA?!" Ami cried suddenly, frightening everyone in the café.

Chibiusa jumped back, caught off guard by the sudden outburst and stared at the blue haired senshi in surprise. It wasn't like Ami to burst out that way, but the shock was too . . . well . . . shocking. Hotaru, Seta and Kei stared back at the three people standing at the counter and the raven-haired girl instantly jumped to her feet.

"Ami!" She cried out, "Be right back guys."

Ami did not spin around to see Hotaru; instead, she stared back at the red haired princess. And for the first time since they entered the café, Matoko finally took notice of the red haired princess standing beside Ami. The woman instantly clamped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with absolute shock.

"Chibiusa!" She cried behind her hands.

Hotaru stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw dropping open. Seta and Kei rose slowly from their chairs, finally realizing who the red haired girl was. They couldn't recognize her without her pink odangos, they actually thought it wasn't Chibiusa at all. Chibiusa only stared back at Matoko with wide terrified eyes, her face pale of color and her body trembling with fear.

"T-they think I did it?" Her voice trembled. "W-why? I-I'm innocent! Innocent!"

"T-they said your blood was found at the scene of the crime!" Matoko replied, remembering Usagi's words. "What happened yesterday? Did they attack you? Is that what happened?"

Chibiusa stood there for a moment, her hand rising absentmindedly to the healing wound on her head. She thought back to yesterday after school, but her head began to suddenly ache with the thought. That voice in her head told her repeatedly to forget. It wasn't important. There was no need to be alarmed. But no, she couldn't stop herself. She needed to know. She wanted to remember!

Suddenly, she felt her blood boil with unimaginable anger and hatred. She felt immense disdain toward Matoko and Ami for believing in the police rather than her own innocence. Before she knew it, her hatred blossomed to not just the two Senshi, but to everyone else in the café for not realizing her pain. A pain that not even _she _understood.

"What's wrong with your skirt Chibiusa?" Hotaru asked, noticing the ripped pink skirt.

"Chibiusa--" Ami began, but Chibiusa raised a hand to stop the blue haired sailor.

She shook her head; her thoughts vanishing from her mind as her head throbbed in pain. She couldn't remember and there was no use in remembering it. What was the point? The police would never believe her, there was no evidence of the weapon that killed them, what made them think they could pin her as a suspect without proof? She was innocent!

"I'm going home." She said quietly, turning on her heel and walked out of the cafe.

Kei and Seta exchanged looks and sat back down in their chairs. Hotaru sighed, watching her friend disappear around the corner. Ami stared back at Matoko, confused more than ever before.

Chibiusa walked along the sidewalk, her mind weaving in and out of thought while her head continued to throb. She was still furious and felt a strange undying hatred for the world around her. She had the urge of running down the street, screaming at anyone who dared to stare at her, but she knew better than to act like some savage teenager. Or at least, she felt she did.

She grabbed onto the bottom of her shirt, twisting it angrily and ripping it until her belly button began to show. She was too lost in thought to realize she was ripping away her clothes, but it didn't matter to her. Anger was all she felt. The pain from earlier before was gone, her headache softened and her starving stomach stopped growling for food. It wasn't until she was at the gate of her house that she realized she had walked back to the scene of the crime. She stared up at the quiet house still closed off by yellow tape; soon they would be able to move back into the house. Soon this whole case would blow over and they would never find their suspect. How could they with no proof?

She pushed open the gate doors and ducked under the yellow tape. She unlocked the door with the spare key Usagi left under the mat and silently walked into the house. The place was still as messy as yesterday, there was glass shattered all along the floors and books and pans scattered every where. There was blood smeared across the walls, all leading up from the master bedroom. She walked up the stairs, careful not to touch anything that would contaminate the crime scene. She stood in the middle of the silent hallway, feeling déjà vu stir within her. For a moment, she felt the urge to laugh hysterically as if she had just got revenge for something and then punch the wall like a savage until her hands were covered in blood.

She approached the bloody master bedroom; her eyes widening at the sight of the pools of blood scattered throughout the room. The walls were coated in dry blood; the bed sheets were stained with a dark pool of blood and even a dry trail lead away from the bedroom as though someone had been carried away. She felt guilty again. Something terrible went on, something inhuman.

For a moment, Chibiusa stood by the doorway, staring at the splattered blood. She tried thinking back to yesterday, her mind searching deep within her memories until she found herself remembering vaguely of a man who wrapped his arms around her body. Of how he managed to carry her up the stairs and dump her carelessly onto the bed. Her memories fogged again, leading her to remember the moment she left Seta and Kei, she thought back to the movie, to the brooch, to the clock, to the claw…

"Claw?" She repeated out loud, catching her own self off guard. _A claw._ She thought, her memories vaguely flashing before her eyes. _A dark claw…shadowy…_

She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her head throb painfully. She clutched her head tightly, her mind trying to desperately to remember the events of yesterday, of the claw that had so conveniently slipped through her memory.

_Claw. Claw. Claw_.

The word echoed in her mind, the pulsating pain increasing uncomfortably.

_Yes . . . yes . . . it was a claw . . . a claw . . . Augh! What am I thinking? What's wrong with me?! _

"The claw," She said calmly, her voice deeper than her usual squeaky tone. It almost sounded unlike her own, soft, cold, maybe even . . . seductive?

_What claw?!_

"There are no knights in shining armor, just men in black cloth and a girl in red."

Chibiusa opened her eyes, her pounding head subsiding and her emotions dying away. She felt oddly calm and tired. She was talking to herself again, yet she wasn't scared by it. When she spoke, it didn't feel like her voice or that it was her talking at all. She felt as though every time she tried to remember, someone else would take her place and respond to her while she pleaded insanity in her mind. It was that saying that calmed her nerves, weight she hadn't known she had lifted from her body and she felt oddly light, almost like she would just fly away if she jumped. She pressed her back against the door frame and slipped down to the ground, the wave of exhaustion overwhelming her once more.

"I'm going crazy." She whispered to herself, dropping her head forward. "My sanity is dying and no one in the world cares but me."

* * *

**A/N:** Mwahahhaa! This was another chapter with a "drastic" change. Mostly from the original weapon (which was a knife) to a claw (I don't think it matters too much but it reigns true to the BoS appearance.) By the way, I like this title better than the original.


	6. The Wind Follows

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* * *

Chapter Six: **

_The Wind Follows

* * *

_

Chibiusa walked quietly in the dark night, her conscious wandering blankly into her own darkness that was her mind. She was lost in thought, thinking about the blood and the house, she thought about her conversation with her own self and about the claw. She could still hear her own voice echoing within her ears.

_Claw. Claw. Claw._

She shook her head, it was enough to get her sucked deep into her own thoughts, and she didn't need to run into anymore trouble again. She was already a suspect for the murder yesterday; she didn't need to be spotted walking on the sidewalks muttering "claw" under her breath like a maniac she suspected she was. She was making her way back toward the hotel when the park came into view and another crowed of people appeared from the darkness. The police and ambulance were once again surrounding the area; she could see through the flashing lights another yellow tape that blocked off the area from the on lookers. Another crime scene. Another death.

She walked on quickly. She didn't want the cops to see her, not back at the scene of the crime. Even though she had no idea why she felt that way. She felt a little paranoid, almost as though the moment somebody saw her there they'd take her away and interrogate her. It was only a matter of time until they questioned her about the events from yesterday. To make matters worse, Chibiusa caught sight of the familiar blonde haired racecar driver among the members of the crowed. Haruka was alone this time; Michiru must have been back home with Setsuna and Hotaru.

Why on earth was Haruka here?

To her dismay, Haruka turned away from the crowed, catching a full look of the pink princess across the sidewalk. Chibiusa looked away from Haruka and began to walk faster. She glanced over her shoulder, watching the woman walk across the street and onto the same sidewalk as Chibiusa.

_Damn._ She thought, watching the hotel rise from the horizon. _Damn! You can't lose the wind!_

"But I can try!" She muttered.

Chibiusa broke out into a run, the wind whipping against her face as her long strawberry red hair lashed across her body. She glanced over her shoulder for a second; Haruka had broken into a run too. Now they were running down the street looking like a predator about to pounce her prey. Haruka was fast; she was already almost halfway the distance she was before. The princess was determined not to get caught, no way, not by the Sailor Senshi of Uranus!

Chibiusa ran into a dark alley away from the sidewalk, glancing over her shoulder again. Haruka was still closing in behind her. She ran out of the shade-shrouded alleyway and into a silent, empty street. She stopped in the middle of the street, panting for breath. She was still exhausted from earlier before and suddenly wished that she had never ran to begin with. She spun around, hearing light panting from behind her and sure enough, there was Haruka, hardly breaking a sweat and hardly panting as much as the princess was.

"What was that for?" She asked, finally calming her breathing.

"I didn't want you to think — _pant_ -- that I was a murderer." _Like running isn't suspicious enough._ She scolded herself.

"You didn't kill those men," Haruka sighed, glancing back to the alleyway. "Why would you think that?"

The princess only panted, staring back at Haruka with emotionless eyes. That wasn't the true reason, Chibiusa knew this. She ran because something inside her commanded her to do so. It was that voice from the house again, that same voice that continued to echo _claw, claw_, in her ears. She really was going mad. Chibiusa shook her head, finally catching her breath and relaxed her trembling body.

"Come on, I'll take you back to the hotel." Haruka told her. "Hotaru told me something interesting today."

"If it's about my hair--" Chibiusa began but Haruka cut right through.

"I think it suits you."

Chibiusa was silent. That wasn't the answer she expected. "Oh."

They walked together through the dark alleyway; Chibiusa thinking deeply to herself again while Haruka gave her casual glances. They could still hear the muttering crowed from down below, but they just kept on walking toward the hotel. Once the two stepped into the hotel lobby, Haruka raised an eyebrow; finally noticing Chibiusa's ripped clothes.

"I may not be a fashionista as Minako or Michiru, but I don't remember raggedy clothes ever being in style."

"It's not," The princess smiled, though it fell from her face faster than it appeared. "I was angry." She admitted suddenly feeling very embarrassed. "I was just angry."

Haruka approached the elevator doors and pressed the button. She dug her hands into her pockets then nodded her blonde head.

"Its life, everyone gets mad at the world sometimes."

"Haruka, why were you tagging me?" Chibiusa asked once the elevator door opened. _"Tagging. Following. Watching." _The voice echoed in her mind.

Haruka frowned for a moment, stepping alongside the princess the moment the elevator doors opened. She stood silent until the doors slid to a shut and up they went to the seventeenth floor. Haruka leaned against the elevator wall, staring back at the metal door in thought. Then, out of the silence she said, "Is that what you call it? I wasn't tagging."

"_Liar." _The voice hissed viciously.

"Usagi and Mamoru were worried, so they sent a search party for you. We stopped searching once the sun began to set, we all thought you would end up back home in the end."

_They gave up searching? _She thought in disappointment.

"We were worried."

_No . . . you were doing Neo Queen Serenity a favor . . ._

"Stop being emo," She muttered to herself, turning her face away from Haruka, who hardly took notice of her little muttering.

For the rest of the elevator ride up the two were silent. Chibiusa felt embarrassed, especially since she caught herself muttering under her breath. She was too embarrassed to say anything else in fear of muttering another word to herself. She even felt bad for Haruka having to baby-sit her like this; it was always ended up this way and for once thing, she was starting to get really annoyed with it.

The elevator door slid open, revealing a teary eyed woman with long golden locks of hair and glassy azure eyes. Standing behind her was a handsome, yet anxious looking man with black hair and dark navy orbs that bore such cold intensity it was almost frightening. _Almost. _Haruka smiled, and then quietly pointed to Chibiusa from the corner of the elevator. Usagi cried out happily, wrapping her arms around the red haired teen tightly and crying on her shoulder.

"I was so worried! I heard about another attack in the park and I thought it was you! I'm so sorry!" She cried out.

Mamoru, on the other hand, looked at Chibiusa with stern eyes. His worry from before had turned into relief, but his relief sank away from sudden shock and surprise.

It was the damn hair. She knew this. She could sense it!

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why did everyone always carry the same reaction to her hair?

"Usagi," Mamoru began, catching the woman's attention. "Chibiusa...your clothes...your hair...what happened?"

"What do you mean what ha--" Usagi fell silent, finally noticing the strawberry red locks, the ripped clothes and that strange sweet scent of . . .strawberries?

The three of them stepped out of the elevator, the silence between them still pressing on. Haruka shifted uncomfortably away from them, this was their own family matter, not her business.

"I'll go now." She said, feeling the tension rise, but a strong curiosity struck her hard and she turned back to the three of them. "I almost forgot, Hotaru wanted to remind you of the masquerade dance tomorrow night. Kei is going to pick you up in our house."

Without waiting for a response, Haruka stepped back into the elevator and quickly disappeared behind the metal doors. Now it was just Chibiusa and her horror stricken future parents in the hallway. She stood there uncomfortably; wondering if they were silently judging her or lost in a train of punishments that ran through their heads. Then, after a long period of silence, Usagi was the first to break the silence.

"Dance? You're going to a dance?" She asked curiously.

"With who exactly?" Mamoru asked, raising an eyebrow. It was just like him to ask a question like that.

"Eh?" She tilted her head in confusion. They weren't supposed to ask her that. They were supposed to yell, scream, whatever parent authority thing that should happen when a rebellious daughter dyed her hair and ripped off her clothes. And yet, here she was, standing in front of her future presents with questions of the dance lingering in the air.

"Who's Kei?" Mamoru pressed on; he wasn't going to let this drop.

Chibiusa snapped out of her thoughts, hearing Kei's name right out of Mamoru's mouth. Kei's name + Mamoru's voice = BAD MIX. She stared back at him for a moment, lost for the exact words, too shocked to move her mouth and ready to break into fits of laughter if she even made one peep.

"Well?"

"H-he's...uh..." _Should I tell them? Maybe I shouldn't. But he's a friend. I should tell them . . . _"My boyfriend?" _Smooth. _

"Oh!" Usagi cried out, nearly scaring Chibiusa. "I'm so glad you have a date for the dance! Aren't we, Mamoru?" She asked, nudging her fiancé in the ribs.

"How old is he?" Mamoru went on.

"Sixteen, my age."

"At least he isn't twenty-one." Growled Mamoru, crossing his arms in a fatherly disapproval.

Usagi giggled, and then stared back at Chibiusa with motherly eyes. So they weren't angry about the hair change or the clothes after all. Usagi smiled warmly, beckoning them to return back to the room for a late dinner, one that Mamoru cooked. Chibiusa was unable to return Usagi's warm smile or the soft gleaming look in her eyes. She felt strange, almost guilty for even being there. It was like she did something bad against them, maybe she did? She couldn't remember. It was awkward, a bit too awkward, but nevertheless, it was better than getting an earful and that's how Chibiusa liked it.

* * *

**A/N: **That 21 bit was actually a joke my friends and I had back many years ago. We all thought that Helios was older than Chibiusa and we believed that if she was 16 then he'd be 21 (Because at the time we thought he was 15 back in SMSS.) So I guess it just stuck to me even after all these years.

Read and Review please!  
They make authors happy!


	7. The Masquerade Prom

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* * *

Chapter Seven: **

_The Masquerade Prom

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_

It was finally Friday and once again, Chibiusa lay on her bed with dreamy eyes. It was the second time she was absent from school that week. She was lucky she had an excuse, if not Chibiusa could imagine herself being forced out of the room by a certain handsome, ebony haired man. But today felt different than the last four days. Chibiusa sat up on the bed, remembering something Haruka said yesterday that made her heart pound with worry. Today was Friday...but that could only mean...

"The dance!" She gasped, nearly throwing off her blankets as she jumped out of the bed. "The masquerade dance!"

She threw open the door and dashed into the living room, calling out Usagi's name in a panic stricken voice. She spun around, hearing the bathroom door fly open and out appeared the blonde haired woman wrapped in a towel. Usagi's golden hair was drenched in water and stuck to her back and legs. She held the towel up with one hand and with the other, Chibiusa noticed, was clutching tightly to a familiar heart shaped golden brooch with miniature wings. Chibiusa frowned; she hadn't seen that brooch in a few years.

"What? What is it? Enemy attack?!" Usagi asked, staring around the living room for any sign of danger.

"Umm...no, not really."

"Oh," She loosened her grip over the brooch then stared back at Chibiusa with curious eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Today's the masquerade dance," Chibiusa sighed. "And I don't have a dress or a mask."

Usagi's eyes lit up faster than the princess could realize. She ran towards Chibiusa and threw her arms around the teen, squealing out like a high school girl.

"Chibiusa's first masquerade dance!" She cried out, still hugging the red haired teen to death. "I have to call the girls! They're going to have so much fun! Hehe, it's a girl's day shopping today! Ah! I should finish up my bath!"

Chibiusa gasped for air after Usagi ran back into the bathroom. The red haired teen fell back on the couch, sighing with sudden regret. What has she gotten herself into now?

* * *

Unintentional torment.

After Usagi finished up the shower and called out on the rest of the inner senshi, she and the others dragged Chibiusa out of the hotel room on a hunt for the perfect dress. Chibiusa walked behind the group of women, wondering why they were acting different. She was sure that Usagi and Mamoru told them about what happened in the house; wouldn't they be a bit worried at all? Shouldn't they be asking her if she was okay or what happened in the house? But they didn't. They just chatted happily about the masquerade dance and began to annoy Chibiusa with questions about Kei.

Ami only chuckled at the four girls, but unlike them, this doctor couldn't get over what she heard yesterday. She was worried; more worried than the others were. She would glance over her shoulder at Chibiusa, and then she would look away and pretend she was listening to the others. That was what Chibiusa expected to happen.

"In here! They have perfect dresses in here! We're bound to find something for Chibiusa." Minako smiled, entering a large dress store.

The store Minako had led them was a very large store with beautiful dresses on the racks in different colors and styles. Chibiusa was impressed by what she saw and so were the other women. Usagi looked at the first dress she saw – it was a snowy white dress with light sparkling designs of a snowflake that ran diagonally across the dress. Her eyes glowed with excitement and longing, she wanted the dress more than Chibiusa did. But her longing shattered at the sight of the price tag on the dress.

"Minako!" Usagi gasped, pulling the black price tag. "This is expensive! How can we get a dress for Chibiusa if half the gowns in the store cost more money than all of us make combined!"

"I'm surprised you even know that Usagi. You were never good in math." Rei smirked devilishly, which only made Usagi glare at Rei angrily.

Chibiusa smiled to herself, walking around the snowy white dress toward the other beautiful dresses in the store. Minako grinned back at them, noticing Matoko's and Ami's shocked faces with black price tags in their hands.

"Did you forget that I'm rich?" Minako asked, flicking her golden hair and flashing them her expensive new purse she bought.

Suddenly, everyone's face brightened. That's right, Minako was famous. She had more money than she knew what to do with. Usagi and Rei glanced at each other for a moment, identical mischievous grins spreading across their face. Minako's face fell at the sight of their mischievous grins; she suddenly regretted ever reminding them about her fame.

"Oh Minako, can we ask you a favor?" Usagi and Rei said in unison, pointing at the dresses they were drooling over.

Minako sighed, dropping her head. Ami and Matoko separated from the three girls. They explored the rest of the store, gasping silently at the beautiful dresses that were hung by manikins and the dresses that were displayed on the walls with bigger black price tags. Chibiusa stood at the back of the store, her eyes fixed on the particular dress up above.

The dress was black satin and decorated by embroideries and beads that ran across the right hip diagonally downward and circled around the bottom of the dress. The chest was covered in embroideries and beads and along with the dress; Chibiusa could see a beautiful choker made of the same beads and embroideries. She drooled, _literally_. She wiped the dribble of saliva from the corner of her mouth, her cheeks flaring with embarrassment.

"What a beautiful dress," She heard Matoko say from behind her.

Chibiusa spun around and surely enough, Matoko and Ami gawked at the beautiful black dress with the matching choker. Their eyes flashed with excitement, this was the dress for Chibiusa.

"I want it." Chibiusa said, turning back to the dress. "It's beautiful."

"I'll go get Minako." Ami said, heading back toward the front of the store.

"I know the perfect shoes that will go with this dress." Matoko smiled, disappearing from behind Chibiusa. A few minutes later, Matoko returned with a box and a pair of black strap heels in her hands. Now all was left was the mask.

Ami returned a few minutes later with an exasperated Minako. They could hear Rei and Usagi bickering near the front of the store over the same two dresses and Matoko and Chibiusa sighed in embarrassment.

"So what dress did you want Chibiusa?" Minako asked, looking around the nearby dresses.

Chibiusa pointed up at the black dress and watched Minako's jaw drop open. Matoko and Ami exchanged similar glances of uncertainty, but Minako quickly recovered her cool. She clutched her purse tightly, grabbed the shoebox from Matoko's hands and turned toward the counter. Before she walked off, she glanced over her shoulder for a moment, her blue eyes gazing up at the black dress.

"Okay," She said finally. "I'll tell them to deliver it to you."

After they left the store, Chibiusa felt happier than before. She had the urge to dance around the sidewalk and skip past the girls while singing a random song that came to her head. Usagi and Rei pouted in disappointment. Masquerade dance or not, this was _Chibiusa's _dance, not theirs – unlike what their daydreams lead them to believe.

The two women walked along side Chibiusa, giving her the same expressions of envy and curiosity.

"What dress did you get?" They asked in unison. "What color was it? How come we didn't get to see it?"

"It's beautiful." Matoko grinned.

"Oh yes, very beautiful." Ami smiled.

"Very expensive," Minako sighed.

"And my perfect dress," Chibiusa added softly, her eyes bright with joy. A joy she hadn't felt for a long time. "But I need a mask."

"And a mask you'll get." Minako said, pointing across the street to three people standing in front of a store with masks on display. "Looks like Haruka and Michiru are doing last minute shopping with Hotaru."

Hotaru called out to the others; suddenly noticing them walk along the sidewalk. The group of inner senshi walked across the street toward the trio, greeting them brightly. Hotaru and Chibiusa rejoiced about their prom dresses, but never said anything about the color or the style of the dress. The group walked into the masquerade store, marveling at the different varieties of masks that were all over the store.

They separated into pairs and wandered the store endlessly for a black or purple mask for Hotaru and Chibiusa. Rei and Usagi were left staring at the masks because they were the only two people who had no idea what dress either of the teens were going to wear.

Chibiusa and Hotaru were silent, staring at the variety of masks. There were some masks that held different colored feathers, other with straps and glued on beads or diamonds. There were some that just stuck to your face like a suction cup and others that were held up by your ears like glasses. Hotaru picked up a familiar white mask and held it up to her face.

"It looks like Tuxedo Mask." She smiled; bringing it up to her face just as Chibiusa turned to face her. "How does it look?" Chibiusa snorted.

"You look like a female version of Tuxedo Mask." She laughed.

Hotaru giggled in reply, dropping the mask back onto the rack. "What color is your dress?"

"Black."

"Then this mask might fit you." Hotaru said, pointing to a black mask hanging on the shelf.

Hotaru grabbed the mask from the shelf and handed it to Chibiusa, who placed the string over her head and adjusted the mask. The mask was black with similar beads that were on Chibiusa's dress. They were glued around the edges of the mask, sparkling and glittering under the light of the store. Chibiusa stared at herself in the mirror, amazed at how difficult it was for people to find out who she was. Without her pink hair, she was a new person behind the mask. The only thing left that linked to her true identity was her hairstyle – her pointed odangos.

Hotaru appeared by her side and stared into the mirror wearing a purple mask with black designs around the edges of the mask and her eyes. The two smiled at their reflections, they just found their perfect masks.

* * *

That night, the Sailor Senshi gathered around in Haruka and Michiru's large living room. Everyone had their own cameras, ready to take massive pictures of Chibiusa and Hotaru before they would leave with their dates to the dance. Setsuna sat quietly on the couch; she was silent since the day she discovered that Chibiusa was in the house during the murder. Her dark red eyes were stern and her face was just as serious. She was happy for the two, but there was a serious matter to be discussed with Chibiusa, a matter that Setsuna and Chibiusa would have to speak alone.

In the meanwhile, Usagi giggled as she watched both Mamoru and Haruka pace around in a circle about the girls' dates tonight. Even if Hotaru wasn't the child of Haruka, the Sailor Senshi of Uranus cared for her just like a father would do to a daughter.

There was a click from the upstairs door and everyone quickly fell silent. They all turned toward the living room entrance, hearing the footsteps of Hotaru and Chibiusa come down the stairs. The two teens were silent, but everyone knew that they were too busy trying not to yell out in joy. This was a dance, but not just any dance, the masquerade prom.

Hotaru was the first one to step into the living room and everyone gasped in surprise. Hotaru was dressed in a purple charmeuse and tulle sheath gown. She had spaghetti straps wrap around her shoulders with an embroidered tulle midriff and had a chevron pleated skirt with an even darker shade of purple inside the dress. She wore matching shoes, a matching choker with a purple gem resting on her chest, and the purple mask tied to her face. The pictures instantly went off and the living room ended up flashing in bright light.

Chibiusa smiled, feeling a little pity for Hotaru – who most definitely was getting blinded by the flashes of light. But then it came to be Chibiusa's turn. She stared down at her black satin dress for a moment, wondering if Kei would find the dress as pretty as she did. She adjusted her mask nervously, and then stepped beside Hotaru where more gasps and flashes of lights continued. This time Usagi and Rei were shocked, their mouths wide open and their eyes were practically bulging from their sockets. A smile crossed Mamoru's face, his daughter looked so beautiful.

"You girls look gorgeous," Matoko smiled.

"Hehe, I wonder what your dates will say." Minako grinned sheepishly.

Just at that moment, the doorbell rung. Everyone in the house fell silent again, staring back at the door in surprise. Minako, Matoko and Rei grinned identically while Mamoru and Haruka stared back at the door with unfriendly eyes. Chibiusa and Hotaru exchanged similar expressions, their cheeks glowing pink with embarrassment.

"Coming!" Michiru sang, giving the two teens a funny grin.

All the women broke out into chatter once Michiru brought in two rather quiet teens dressed in tuxedos into the living room. Chibiusa and Hotaru blushed even redder.

Kei and Seta were both dressed in identical black tuxedos with only their masks being different. Kei had a mask that looked like Tuxedo Mask but inverted in color. Seta had a flatter black mask that wrapped around his face, making him look like a regular Zorro.

Once the two boys smiled at their dates, the flashing of lights started again and more pictures were taken. Flash after flash after flash, it was a never-ending flash attack! Chibiusa wrapped an arm around Kei's arm, smiling up at her handsome date, her stomach fluttering uncomfortably. Mamoru and Haruka had to look away for a moment, the two of them fuming with anger and distrust toward Kei and Seta, but everyone else ignored the two. Instead, they wished the couples a good time and watched as they walked out of the house.

* * *

The four teens gawked at the large hotel ballroom the ball was being held in. All their classmates were dressed in beautiful gowns and tuxedos, each one wearing a unique mask that hid away their identity. Music echoed throughout the ballroom. Many couples were dancing with their partners, spinning around with elegance as though they were their own royalty. All they could do was marvel at the extravagance. This was their first masquerade prom and by the looks of it, it would be their most memorable dance.

Kei and Seta lead the girls toward an empty table and pulled out chairs for their dates like gentlemen. Chibiusa and Hotaru smiled, thanking the boys and sat down on the chairs. Chibiusa twirled her finger around Kei's necklace. She wore the necklace along with the matching choker, feeling it was better to keep the necklace on just to make Kei happy. She loved the necklace either way; she wasn't going to take it off for anything.

Before the four of them were able to say anything, the DJ ended the song and began to play a soft, melodious tune that sounded sad more than anything. Many couples began to take their spots on the dance floor while some of the other couples who were dancing earlier decided to take a rest. Kei and Seta grinned, then rose up from their chairs and handed a hand to their dates.

"Shall we dance?" Kei asked Chibiusa.

Chibiusa blushed lightly, then took his hand and followed him to the dance floor. They stopped in the middle of the dance floor and began to dance slowly with the music. Hotaru and Seta danced beside the two; the two of them lost in each other's eyes. Chibiusa blushed again, feeling her heart race and her body tremble. She was excited and nervous all at once. Here she was, dancing slowly in the arms of her date, the two of them staring deeply into each other's eyes. It was like in her dreams where she would dance in the center of the palace ballroom with a silver mask and her partner with his golden mask. But this was different now – it wasn't a dream. This time, Chibiusa was dancing in Kei's arms. She was feeling his warmth, hearing his voice, smelling his scent, Kei was real.

Her dream wasn't.

_Kei is mine._ She thought, resting her head against his chest. _Kei is mine..._

"You look beautiful." He whispered. "You look like a real princess."

Chibiusa's eyes flew open. _A princess?_ The word echoed in her ears like venom. But she was a princess, a real princess from the future!

Without realizing it, the slow song had ended and was replaced by another dance song. Chibiusa stared up at Kei for a moment, her red eyes glassy with tears. She was a princess in the masquerade ball. That's what she was, a pathetic weak princess dancing her sorrow away with her so-called prince charming. Her "knight in shining armor."

_No._ She thought, a smile spreading across her face. _My knight in black armor._

"What's so funny?" Kei grinned. "I know I look really stupid in this tuxedo."

"No," She smiled. "You look so handsome."

Kei smiled, his face drawing closer to hers. They leaned closer together, their lips drawing to a kiss when Seta cleared his throat out of the silence. Kei and Chibiusa jumped away from each other, the two of them blushing bright red.

"Sorry to break up such an intense moment, but Kei can I talk to you in private?" Seta said, his eyes darting everywhere around the ballroom. "It's really important."

Chibiusa nodded her head in approval, making her way back towards the table where Hotaru sat. Kei sighed, following Seta toward the men's room. Hotaru and Chibiusa stared at each other for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh of disappointment. Chibiusa was so close in getting a kiss from Kei, so damn close. It was the second time they were interrupted! Would they ever get their first kiss together? The princess blushed again; feeling her ears and cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"I was close." Hotaru suddenly spoke, breaking Chibiusa from her thoughts. "We were about to kiss until his cell phone rang. His stupid cell phone has the worst timing." She blushed.

"Yeah." Chibiusa sighed, feeling glad that she wasn't the only one disappointed.

The two sat across from each other silently, their heads resting against their hands while everyone else danced happily with their partners. It wasn't fair, not at _all. _She dropped her head on the table, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment in hopes Kei would return again.

Just at that moment, another slow song began to play and even more couples joined the dance floor. The two of them groaned in dismay, their partners were gone and they had no one to dance with for this particular song. It just wasn't fair!

"May I have this dance?" asked an oddly familiar voice from beside Chibiusa.

She lifted her head from the table and stared up at a man wearing a golden mask. He was a tall boy dressed in a black tuxedo with odd light hair and a familiar smile. Chibiusa's eyes narrowed dangerously at the boy, that smile was a little _too _familiar.

* * *

**A/N: **Read and Reviiiiieeeewwww~ _-cough- _I never thought I'd say that before . . .


	8. The Man behind the Golden Mask

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* * *

Chapter Eight: **

_The Man behind the Golden Mask_

* * *

Hotaru watched suspiciously as the man behind the golden mask led the pink princess to the middle of the ballroom. She was curious more so than suspicious. She noticed that he wasn't from the school; he didn't look like anyone Hotaru knew from classes. And yet, there was something about him that gave her a friendly vibe.

On the other hand, Chibiusa kept her distance from him, finding herself a strong sense of déjà vu overwhelm her as they stood underneath the chandelier of the ballroom. She swore she had done this part before. She couldn't help but look into his eyes; they were light brown and so sickeningly familiar.

Her heart began to race again and her mind pounded with pain. Where did she meet this man before? She knew him in a way; some part of her memory remembered him, but where? _Where?_

"Your eyes are familiar," said the man. Even his voice was familiar. _It couldn't be . . ._

"I can say the same for you." Chibiusa sighed, feeling her legs tremble. Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast. She felt suffocated dancing with all the couples. She was finding it hard to breathe; she needed to get out of there.

"Are you okay?"

She broke away from him, her hand resting against her chest as she gasped for air. Without a word, she ran across the ballroom toward the exit and burst out into the dark night. She leaned forward, her hand clutching Kei's necklace tightly. Where was her knight and shining armor now?

_What's wrong with me?_ She thought, tears swelling behind her eyes as her breathing began to return to normal. _It can't be . . . it's not!_

"Chibiusa, are you okay?" Hotaru's voice came from behind her.

"No I'm not okay!" She cried out, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know what's wrong with me! I don't know why I feel so guilty o-or why I feel so angry!"

Chibiusa fell to her knees, her arms wrapped around her trembling body. Her head pounded with pain, her heart raced in her chest and no matter how hard she tried, she felt like laughing hysterically. Hotaru appeared by her side, quietly wrapping her arms around the princess.

"It's okay," Hotaru whispered, patting her friend lightly on the back. "It's okay..."

"I hate what's becoming of me." She whispered her eyes fluttering closed with exhaustion. "I hate what's coming for me..."

Hotaru frowned before pulling herself away from her companion, her eyes falling back on the girl with curiosity gleaming in her violet orbs. They sat together in silence, only the cool night air brushing against their pale skins, letting them shiver slightly in discomfort. It was enough to cool the princess down as she wiped away her tears, feeling her heart beat in its usual slow pace but her mounting headache continued to pulsate against her skull.

Suddenly, there was a loud blood-curdling scream from inside the hotel. Chibiusa and Hotaru rose to their feet, staring back at the hotel with wide eyes. Another scream yelled from inside and Chibiusa and Hotaru ran back into the lobby and toward the ballroom. They ran into the ballroom where the lights flew on and many of the high school students were screaming past them. Chibiusa and Hotaru gasped in surprise, floating above the ballroom floor was a man with light blue skin and long dark blue hair. He had long pointed ears with light blue glowing eyes and in his hands he clutched a student by the neck. She struggled for freedom, kicking her legs frantically and pressing her nails into his skin, but nothing she did broke his grip on her. Then, the man pulled out a silver dagger and shoved it into the girl's stomach.

Hotaru gasped in horror as the blue skinned man twisted the blade in the girl's stomach and blood poured out of her wound. Her hands dropped and her legs no longer moved. He tossed her a side as if she were just a rag doll and her blood splattered across the marble floor as she landed hard on the ground. Chibiusa made an automatic grab to her chest, but to her horror, she remembered she had stopped bringing her brooch everywhere she went.

The man turned around in the air and Hotaru gasped out in fear once more. He was devilishly handsome with his glowing eyes and his light blue skin. His front side was completely coated in blood of his victims and behind him, Chibiusa could see the pile of bodies he had managed to kill before anyone could see that they were dead. Oddly enough, Chibiusa didn't feel fear at the pile of blood or the bodies. Instead she felt like smirking in triumph, almost like a villain would do. Chibiusa snapped out of her daze, feeling Hotaru's hand grab tightly onto her own.

The man brought the dagger close to his face and very slowly, he licked the red blood from the blade as though it were ice cream. Chibiusa could feel Hotaru step back, she wanted to run. Without their sailor wands and brooches, Chibiusa and Hotaru were sitting ducks in the ballroom, but Chibiusa didn't want to run away from the man. She wanted to stay; she wanted to talk to him. She wanted to know why he was there.

"Who are you?" She asked loudly, unable to control herself.

The blue skinned man stared back at the two with emotionless eyes. After a moment of silence, the elfish man floated back down to the ground with a grin on his face.

"I am," He began in a deep voice. "RuneSky."

"And I," said another voice, higher than RuneSky's. Chibiusa and Hotaru turned their heads to the left. Appearing out of no where was another man with silvery long hair and light skin. He had green glowing eyes with long pointed ears that made him and RuneSky look like tall elves. He too was coated in blood and in his hands was a long blood stained sword. "I am RuneLore."

"And now, you shall die!" RuneSky laughed, breaking out into a run towards them.

Hotaru jerked Chibiusa from her spot and broke out into a run out of the ballroom. They yelled out in fear while flying daggers skimmed over their heads. They could hear the elves laughing menacingly behind them, calling after the girls like animals. They were sitting ducks and without the Sailor Senshi, there was no way anyone was going to save them. Chibiusa could feel her hand slipping away from Hotaru's. It was hard to run in heels and in her dress. She was going to be RuneSky's and RuneLore's lunch if she stopped!

_We need help! _ Chibiusa cried out in her mind.

"Come on Chibiusa! You're slowing down!" Hotaru yelled out, her grip growing tighter on Chibiusa's hand.

"I-I can't h-help it! I'm tired!" She panted.

"Hang on!"

Hotaru and Chibiusa ran into the lobby and toward the doors. To their dismay, the doors were shut tight. They kicked and pounded their fists at the glass, but the door wouldn't budge. They spun around, hearing RuneSky and RuneLore cackle from down the hall, they were drawing closer to them! They were trapped in the hotel with no ways of help, no way of escape. They were doomed! Suddenly, Chibiusa remembered in the ballroom an emergency exit that led straight out of the back of the hotel. She grabbed onto Hotaru's hand and began to run into the right hallway back into the ballroom.

Back in the blood soaked ballroom, Chibiusa and Hotaru spotted the closed emergency exit. They ran toward the door, pushing desperately down on the handle, but it too would not move. Hotaru groaned, pressing her back against the wall beside the door.

"We're trapped!" She gasped. "Sailor Moon! Sailor Uranus! Pluto! Neptune! Seta! Kei! Someone! Help us!"

_They won't come._ Chibiusa thought, turning away from Hotaru, her hands clutched tightly into fists. _They can't feel us. They can't hear us. It's just us alone._

"We can stop them." Chibiusa whispered to herself. _"Yes, we can . . ."_

Hotaru raised her head from her hands, gasping out in surprise at RuneSky and RuneLore standing at the entrance of the ballroom. The two elves were grinning evilly, blood from their victims smeared across their lips. They clutched their weapons tightly, the blood glistening in the light of the ballroom. Chibiusa stood in front of Hotaru, her eyes filled with a sudden coldness. She pulled off her mask, the string snapping behind her head. Hotaru watched in silence, her eyes growing wider as she felt a jolt of energy run up her spine. Something big was coming to the ballroom, something dark. RuneSky and RuneLore stood their ground, their grins faltering. They felt the same jolt of energy.

"Hotaru, get out of here." Chibiusa ordered her voice cold and unlike her own.

Hotaru stared at the red haired girl for a moment. The doors were locked, Chibiusa already knew that, but why tell her to leave? Hotaru stared at the handle of the emergency exit, wondering if the jolt of energy did anything to unlock the doors.

"Go!" Chibiusa demanded.

Hotaru pressed the handle down, feeling it click and swing open into the dark night. The raven-haired teen felt something push her out of the ballroom and she fell to the ground, her dress nearly getting caught by the swinging door. She turned around, feeling another jolt of negative energy from inside the ballroom.

"Chibiusa!" Hotaru yelled out, slamming her fists against the door. "Chibiusa! Come out! Chibiusa!"

Chibiusa couldn't hear Hotaru's desperate cries from outside. She glared back at the two elves, feeling herself slowly slipping into the darkness. Her head was aching with pain, she couldn't understand what she was doing, but it wasn't her that was doing anything. She was just a pair of eyes watching the world pass around her. She had no control of her body anymore.

"You wanna play games, don't you?" She asked coldly. "So let's play."

She felt a grin spread across her face and fear flashed in RuneLore's eyes. Something within her was coming out again, that very something that had attacked the men from her house and the men on the park. Half the ballroom from behind Chibiusa grew darker and darker as though black smoke was seeping into the ballroom. The air around them grew cold and thick, they could feel their fear grow stronger. Something terrible was coming. Without warning, Chibiusa ran forward in quickness she never thought she had.

* * *

Hotaru ran around the hotel, her purple dress dragging across the grassy ground. She ran toward the front of the hotel, spotting the Sailor Senshi run toward her. Before she could open her mouth to call them, the glass windows of the hotel were blasted apart. Hotaru felt a strong force knock her off her feet. All the cars around the hotel were flipped into the air, the trees surrounding the hotel were nearly blown off from the ground and soon the silence of the night was shattered by the loud beeping and sirens of the car alarms.

"CHIBIUSA!" Hotaru screamed, scrambling towards the hotel.

The raven-haired girl stopped in her tracks, her eyes spotting the golden masked man holding a girl in his arms. The rest of the Sailor Senshi stopped behind Hotaru, eying the golden masked man with distrust, but Sailor Moon broke from the group and ran towards Chibiusa with Tuxedo Mask by her side.

The golden masked man handed the unconscious girl in Tuxedo Mask's arms, revealing to the others her once beautiful dress torn and stained with blood – yet Chibiusa held no scratch on her body. Sailor Mars stepped out of the group, her eyes filled with anger and outrage.

"What did you do to her!?" She demanded.

"I did nothing." The man replied calmly, although the look in his eyes portrayed dismay. "I just found her alone in the ballroom after the attack."

"Attack?" he heard Sailor Moon say. "Who are you?" She asked, tears building in her eyes.

"Who am I?" The man repeated. He pulled off his golden mask, revealing a familiar face neither of them had seen for a very long time. "I am Helios."

* * *

**A/N: **Didn't change too much from this chapter since there wasn't much too change in the first place.

Read & Review and I'll give you a cookie!


	9. The Wedding

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* * *

Chapter Nine: **

_The Wedding

* * *

_

Mamoru laid Chibiusa in her bed. She was still dressed in her torn gown, her mask gone and her face cleaned from blood. She was uninjured, which is what surprised everyone the most. Mamoru joined the others in the living room where they interrogated Helios with questions, but the white haired man was unable to answer any of their questions. All he did was shake his head and say that he was on a mission that would soon become clear to them once the time was right.

They spent the remainder of the night asking Hotaru what happened at the dance. The raven-haired teen was unable to answer all of their questions. She had no clue what happened after she was pushed out of the emergency exit, all she knew was that she felt a powerful jolt of energy and it was the same blast of energy that blew out all the windows of the hotel.

Usagi sat silently on the couch, staring absentmindedly at Chibiusa's bedroom door. She felt deep within her heart that this was just the beginning of something terrible, more so then the battle with Galaxia. The long peace that had fallen on them would soon come to an end and the Sailor Senshi would find themselves in another battle to save the world.

* * *

Chibiusa jerked awake after hearing a loud bang of something shattering on the kitchen floor. She sat up slowly, feeling her head pound lightly and her muscles ache with pain. She stared down at her once beautiful gown, torn at the edges and stained of blood from yesterday's fiasco. She replayed the last events she could remember in her head, still confused as to exactly what had happened, but she couldn't deny what she felt. She could still feel the creeping coldness that had entered the ballroom after Hotaru left and it wasn't just the outside air. She exhaled deeply; remembering the strange rise of energy that surged within her body. There was no way to explain to the others about what happened in the hotel, she wouldn't be able to recall the events anyway. She was surprised she was able to remember this much anyway.

She got out of her bed silently and slipped into the hallway without so much as a notice. She was surprised to see how busy everything had become. She could hear voices of people shifting around the living room, three familiar voices were arguing over something she didn't understand. She stepped into the living room quietly, spotting Usagi in tears with Ami's arms wrapped around her in comfort. Rei, Minako and Makoto were arguing with each other, each one of them dressed in matching bridesmaid's dresses in different colors. Chibiusa suddenly remembered what day this was and how long she had been asleep. Today was Saturday, Usagi and Mamoru's fated wedding day.

"Hey." She heard someone say.

Chibiusa spun around, catching sight of Hotaru and Michiru smiling back at her. They too were dressed nicely for the occasion, unlike yesterday's masquerade ball.

"Are you okay?" Michiru inquired sweetly.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She sighed, keeping her gaze away from their own. "I don't remember what happened but I have this weird feeling that's bothering me. Why did you leave Hotaru?"

Hotaru knitted her brows in confusion before she shook her head at Chibiusa's question. "You told me to leave Chibiusa, don't you remember? Are you sure you're really okay? I mean, ever since the robbery, you haven't been the same."

Chibiusa's eyes narrowed suddenly, anger instantly shooting throughout her body. "I'm fine." She snapped, spinning on her heels and marched into the living room with the rest of the senshi.

Rei, Minako and Makoto suddenly fell silent, noticing the red haired girl storm angrily into the kitchen. Chibiusa had a sinking suspicion that their argument wasn't about Usagi's tears, but about herself and the fact that it was Usagi's wedding day. She figured the only reason why Usagi was crying was because she didn't want to get married with Chibiusa stuck in a world of dark dreams. But now that she was awake, there was no excuse with not going through with the wedding. Chibiusa pulled off her choker and placed it on the kitchen counter; she glanced down at her prom dress, wondering why she hadn't thought about removing it from her before she left the room.

"Chibiusa, you're awake!" Usagi wailed, shooting up from the couch much to Ami's surprise.

Unlike the other's, Usagi wasn't dressed in her wedding dress she bought three months ago. Chibiusa suspected Usagi had second thoughts about the whole wedding, but now that everything seemed fine again, she was sure Usagi would walk down that aisle today. Usagi ran up to her future daughter and wrapped her arms around her, her tear stained cheek brushed against Chibiusa's cheek.

"I was so worried, I wanted to call the wedding off and wait until you were awake!"

"I'm awake now." She replied quietly.

Usagi nodded her head. She pulled herself away from Chibiusa and wiped the tears away from her eyes. Minako, Rei and Makoto sighed in relief and the three sat back down in unison on the couch. Ami gave a small smile while Hotaru and Michiru stepped into the living room holding Chibiusa's dress for the wedding in a plastic cover.

* * *

The sun began to set once all the guests had arrived at the church. Without delay, the ceremony began and the bridesmaids made their way down the aisle with their partners. The four generals looked mighty handsome in their black tuxedos and their hair combed and fixed for the occasion, well at least three of them did. Zoicite kept casting Minako glares of jealously from across the altar while she continued to make funny faces at him for walking down the aisle with Kunzite.

Chibiusa wasn't surprised to see them at the wedding. She had heard stories about them before, mostly from the Senshi of the future and sometimes through bedtime stories. They were just a group of many unfamiliar faces that lingered throughout the whole church – they were all people that the Sailor Senshi had helped and saved in various occasions.

The pink princess sat in the front row, having a clear view of the altar and the groom. She watched the bridesmaids in amusement; enjoying the little show Zoicite and Minako were throwing at each other. She had to fight back her giggles when Zoicite threatened to march over to Minako, but Kunzite held him back with a hand to his chest. Their charades quickly ended when the familiar song of the bride's began to echo in the church. Everyone rose to their feet the moment they heard the song and appearing out of the hallway was Usagi dressed in complete white. Her golden hair was held up and curled; her make up in light shades of colors that just seemed to make her radiate with beauty. She held a bouquet of white roses and her face hidden through the shimmering white veil. Her dress was astonishingly beautiful with fake white roses all along the bust and embroideries and glass beads shimmering on the rest of her dress.

Everyone watched the future queen walk down the carpet toward her future husband, a smile appearing on everyone's face. This was Usagi's dream and after so many years it was finally coming true. The moment she joined Mamoru by the altar, everyone sat back down in his or her benches and silence fell within the church. Chibiusa found it awkward to be at her mother's wedding day, it was too weird. Not only that, it was wrong, completely wrong. Chibiusa wasn't meant to be at Usagi's wedding ceremony, but she was there...which would explain why her mother never had pictures from the moment she and Mamoru said I do.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the love between Mamoru Chiba and Usagi Tsukino. With so much love here, it's not a wonder that they chose such a perfect day for us to witness and testify their wish to be joined as husband and wife. Spring bloomed with tender promises, summer grew to sweet passion, fall approaches with steady faith and winter lies upon the land with a calm and serene peace.

"Mamoru, is it your wish to be joined with Usagi as your lawfully wedded wife?"

Chibiusa saw the smile spread across Mamoru's face as he replied, "I do."

"Usagi, is it your wish to be joined with Mamoru as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." She sniffed.

"Love is very much like a wild rose." The priest went on. "It grows in the wild, unheeded by storms, weeds and neglect. However, it still has thorns, blooms and a beauty all its own. The sun kisses it each morning, the wind tucks it in each night and the moon watches over it as it sleeps. Be good to one another, cherish one another and be a guide and support to one another. Mamoru, please take Usagi's left hand and in placing the ring on the third finger, please repeat after me: I, Mamoru Chiba, take you Usagi Tsukino to be my lawfully wedded wife. To love, honor and cherish for the rest of our days. May our love always bloom as it did the days we met. With this ring, I thee wed."

Mamoru recited the priest's word with confidence, his smile growing bigger with every word. Tears ran down Usagi's face as he placed the beautiful silver diamond ring on her ring finger. Then the priest went on, telling Usagi her words to Mamoru.

"I, Usagi Tsukino, take you Mamoru Chiba to be my lawfully wedded husband. To love, honor and cherish for the rest of our days. May our love always bloom as it did the day we met. With this ring, I thee wed." She recited perfectly.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Mamoru lifted Usagi's veil over her head and in that intense moment of silence, the two leaned into a kiss, sealing their wedding vows for all eternity. Everyone in the room cheered and clapped. The inner senshi wiped tears away from their eyes while Mamoru's men clapped and congratulated the newly weds. Setsuna, Chibiusa noticed, had finally cracked a smile on her usually solemn face. It was the first signs of emotions since the meeting on Thursday.

Before the princess knew it, everyone made their way out of the church aisle and into the dark night.

* * *

The night went on, carrying with it the joyous sounds of laughter and celebration. Most of the inner senshi were up and about, dancing away to the beat of the music or laughing with Usagi and Mamoru. The newly weds had finished their first dance as a married couple two hours before and now that the first event for the bridesmaids was coming soon.

Chibiusa sat silently at the table, watching as Hotaru and her special gust Seta dance along with the others. She had wanted Kei to come to the wedding, but the rest of the inner senshi had denied her request. Annoyingly, she never got a reason why.

_This isn't fair_. She thought bitterly, staring at her half empty cup of soda. _If Hotaru can bring Seta, why can't I bring my boyfriend too?_ She sighed in dismay, her fingers wrapping around her cup before chugging the remaining soda.

"I was right," said a familiar voice from behind Chibiusa. "I knew you were familiar to me, maiden."

_Maiden._

_Maiden? Wait . . . oh no . . .I-it can't be . . .!_

She clutched the cup tightly, her head turning cautiously around toward the source of the voice until her crimson eyes caught sight of the familiar figure that stood behind her. Instantly, her face paled. "Helios." She muttered under her breath in pure horror.

There he stood; dressed in the same exact outfit he wore the day he left Tokyo six years ago, with a sweet, devilishly soft smile crossing his handsome features.

In regular circumstances, Chibiusa should have been jumping up and down in glee. She would have wrapped her arms around him and scream out his name to the world, but no. Instead, all she could feel toward her literal dream boy was the scorn of rejection and loneliness. He left her alone for six years. Six _years. _That wasn't something she could easily forget.

She scowled. "What do you want?"

"I thought you'd be happy to see me." That sweet smile of his faltered but only just a little.

"Sorry to disappoint you." She replied, quickly turning away from him.

Helios sighed heavily, taking the empty seat across from Chibiusa.

"You have every right to hate me," He said sadly. "But I had to leave, I had no choice."

"I understood why you had to leave." She snapped bitterly. "I waited for you for six years. That's longer than any girl can wait, but I had hope."

"Forgive me."

"Forgive you?" She repeated in anger. _Forgive you?! How can we forgive you?!_

"_He does not deserve our forgiveness." _

Chibiusa fell silent, her angry eyes glaring hatefully at the dance floor. She knew it was him at the ball, it just had to be. He was the only one who knew her dreams. He was the man behind the golden mask in her dreams and in her reality. So he must have seen her once beautiful dreams turn into nightmares. Was that why he returned? To see what trouble Chibiusa got herself into now?

She rose up from her chair quickly, nearly pushing the chair off its legs. She turned to Helios, her eyes blazing with rage from deep within.

"I won't forgive you." She hissed viciously. "You left me alone in my dreams and in my reality. And now that you've returned, you expect things to return the way they were before? No, I don't think so." --Her voice changed into that familiar cold voice from the masquerade dance-- "You left me broken hearted and I've finally managed to cope without you. I won't fall into my darkness again, no I won't. Love isn't worth it if all I would ever feel is pain and sorrow for every moment that you're gone. I thank you for helping us save the world from Nehelenia, but that was six years ago. We don't need you anymore."

With that, she turned away from a hurt stricken Helios and marched away without a look back. Chibiusa stood silently outside the building where the party was being held. She wanted to leave everyone behind and just go back home, back to Crystal Tokyo or back to the newly wed's house. The house was finally cleaned from the blood and the police had gathered all the evidence they can for the cases, so now the newly wed's would be able to return back home. She sighed, hiding her face behind her hands. The sight of Helios had angered her. She was so broken by him, how could he just return that way? Didn't he understand by leaving the first time that he had broken her? No, no one understood that. No one can feel her pain.

No one cared on this very happy day. She was happy for Usagi and Mamoru, but what else could she do? She had over stayed her welcome. She was never meant to be at their wedding, she was never meant to be at the past at all, but rules had to be broken. Too many rules had to be broken.

She stared around the dark streets, wondering why the night felt quiet. She frowned at the thought; it was far too quiet compared to the party inside. There was no moon in the sky, there was no one walking the streets and not even a breath of wind. The trees were still, the wind was still, it felt as though the whole world was frozen in time.

Chibiusa spun around in her spot, feeling something staring back at her through the darkness. Something was coming; she could feel it within her gut, something familiar was returning.

Suddenly, Chibiusa heard a loud familiar cackling laugh from behind her. She spun around, her eyes narrowing at the sight of a shadowy figure standing within the darkness. It was a rather familiar silhouette with long pointed elf ears and a long sheath of a sword strapped to his waist.

"RuneLore!" Chibiusa called out, her anger growing again. "Why are you back?" It wasn't her voice speaking again it was someone else.

"So the psycho princess remembers me?" RuneLore laughed, stepping into the light of the street lamp. "How lovely!"

"You coward! You ran from our fight! Did you realize that I can destroy you?" She grinned.

"Oh you wish princess. In fact, I came here with hopes of revenge. Meet my new playmate, Lady Virampa!"

Out of the darkness flew a ghostly white woman with long black hair and leathery bat wings. Her lips were as red as blood and her eyes dark as the night sky. She hissed at Chibiusa, revealing those sharp long fangs. She was a vampire, an easy creature to destroy. Chibiusa grinned, feeling her confidence brew within her. She'd be able to wipe out "Lady Virampa" before Usagi and the other Sailor Senshi could sense her presence. RuneLore disappeared within the darkness, leaving behind his vampiress. The vampire shrieked, opening her mouth wide so she could sink those fangs into Chibiusa's neck.

Chibiusa felt her right hand grow warm as though heat were being generated straight from her hand. She glanced down at her hand; her hand was glowing brightly through the darkness. It was the light she would need to destroy Virampa's body, but before either Chibiusa or Virampa were able to attack each other, they heard a cry from the doorway and out appeared Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi. The glow in Chibiusa's hands vanished, leaving her hand colder then it was before. Virampa flew into the air; the sudden appearance of the Sailor Senshi threw her off completely.

"Wait! Guys!" Chibiusa cried out, but Virampa swooped down toward the Sailor Senshi.

The vampiress screeched loudly, piercing everyone's ears. She swung out her arms and out of the darkness were more copy cat vampires. The duplicate vampires grabbed a hold of a Sailor Scout and pulled them away from each other, their chalk white arms wrapping around the Sailor scout's. Chibiusa watched as Virampa wrapped her arms around Sailor Moon, her mouth opening wide again. With Mamoru and everyone else distracted by the party, there wasn't anyone left to save them. Except for a certain red haired princess.

"Ughn! Chibiusa run!" Sailor Moon cried out, struggling against Virampa's clutches.

_But I'm not in control . . ._

"Virampa, they aren't your enemy! Your mine!" Chibiusa yelled out, her voice still cold and murderous. She could feel the warmth of her right hand return to her. The glow was back, the power of light had returned to her. She stretched her glowing hand into the air and felt the warm light spread across her arm. A bright ball of light formed over Chibiusa's raised hand, and without warning, the ball of light flashed so brightly it nearly blinded the struggling Sailor Senshi. Virampa screeched in agonizing pain, her body bursting into black dust along with her duplicates.

The ball of light disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. The Sailor Senshi stared around at the pile of dust with confusion clearly in their eyes. They turned to Sailor Moon, who only stared wide-eyed at Chibiusa. They thought Usagi had done it, Usagi always had the glowing flashes of bright light, but it wasn't her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Chibiusa asked in confusion. "Why are we out here?"

"You...don't remember?" Sailor Moon asked, her sailor fuku forming back into her wedding dress.

Chibiusa thought back for a moment, fighting against her pounding headache. She thought back to the dark silent night, back to RuneLore appearing through the darkness, then back to when the Sailor Senshi appeared. She tried to think in-between it, she remembered thinking about some one.

"_Paige." _Said the familiar voice inside her mind.

_Paige . . ._

"Something is coming," said the cold voice through Chibiusa's lips.

Setsuna watched them silently through the shadows of the building entrance with Helios by her side. She could hear Chibiusa's words from where she stood, but the fear that lingered within her mind was what held her back from revealing herself. She wanted to know once and for all the truth behind Chibiusa's change. This is what she had feared. The thing she had been warned about has finally broken through the surface.

Chibiusa wrapped her arms around her quivering body.

"I hate what will become of us when we finally lose control." whispered the voice. "To find the book, is to find death."

Chibiusa closed her eyes, exhaustion overwhelming her and she collapsed to the floor. Usagi gasped in horror, running toward the fallen future princess. Helios and Setsuna fell back into the shadows of the entrance to warn the others about what they had seen. Looks like the fun was finally over. Now the Sailor Senshi knew that Setsuna's words were true, there was no denying . . . something horrid was heading their way.

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**End of Part One: **

_The Brewing of Terror_

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**A/N: **And thus that concludes [rewritten] part one (yay!) Rewritten part two is UNDERWAY! (because I'm actually working on it RIGHT NOW!)

Read and Review gets a new chapter underway!


	10. The Dream

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Part Two: **

_The Book of Summoning_

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**Chapter Ten: **

_The Dream

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_

_It was a beautiful day in the city of Crystal Tokyo. The skies were blue and bright, the air was warm from the summer days and the whole city seemed to joyce with happiness. Today was a very special day! The birth of a new star! The birth of Neo Queen Serenity's first child! After years of trying, Neo Queen Serenity had finally conceived and now today was the day her long years of waiting would pay off. King Endymion paced around the quiet hospital hallway. Back and forth he went, muttering to himself about the trouble his wife and the baby could suffer. His mind raced with thoughts of good and of bad. His heart pounded with excitement, fear and worry. His body trembled, he was anxious to see his wife and his newborn daughter. He wanted so badly to hold his daughter in his arms and to kiss his wife tenderly for giving birth to such a beautiful child, but he paced back and forth in the waiting room._

_The hospital was surrounded with supporters, each one just as anxious as King Endymion was. They held up signs that congratulated the King and Queen on their newborn. Some signs wished the Queen and the baby a happy birthday for today too was Neo Queen Serenity's birthday. How odd it was for Neo Queen Serenity and her daughter to be born on the same day? Everyone was excited, but no one cheered. They were scared for their Queen; they knew how much trouble she had gone through to have a baby. They knew how difficult it was for their Queen to conceive and now they prayed silently as they waited, praying that their finest Queen would not die. Their Queen was far too good to die._

_Then, after an hour of hard labor, King Endymion stopped his pacing at the sight of a familiar blue haired doctor with a wide smile spreading across her face. The rest of the Sailor Senshi stood up from their chairs, each one dressed casually for the occasion rather then in their sailor fukus. The shorthaired doctor nodded her head toward King Endymion, allowing him to visit his wife alone and to see their newborn child._

_The other Sailor Senshi rejoiced with happiness, finally years of waiting had finally paid off. Neo Queen Serenity had just given birth to princess small lady. Chibiusa had come at last._

_King Endymion followed Dr. Mizuno toward Neo Queen Serenity's hospital bed and there, sleeping soundly beside the Queen was a small child with fuzzy pink hair. Neo Queen Serenity smiled at her husband, watching as he lifted up his tiny daughter in his hands. King Endymion's eyes were glazed with tears of joy. He glanced back at his wife lovingly, then gently leaned closer to her and shared a kiss of joy and love._

_A year had gone by and now it was the pink haired princess's first birthday. Neo Queen Serenity watched as her daughter created a tower from blocks then knocked it down with a roar of laughter. The Queen could only help but smile. Such innocence, it was bliss to live in a world where you had no idea truly existed. A year of life, it was the biggest celebration. King Endymion entered the nursery, greeting his baby girl with a kiss on the forehead and greeting his wife with a kiss on the lips. Neo Queen Serenity rose up from her rocking chair and lifted her daughter into her arms. Together, the family walked out of the nursery and toward the Great Hall where the rest of the inner scouts awaited them. They were going to have a big bash for the princess._

_But the joy in the air was not as wide spread, as it was the day of the princess's birth. There were those who hated the King and Queen, their enemies had wished them dead and wished to claim their power for themselves. That day, the dark moon army had attacked Crystal Tokyo. They made their way into the city, slashing at those who wandered into their paths and blasting away the homes and buildings. Neo Queen Serenity held her baby close to her chest, her Sailor Soldiers ran off to fight the intruders while her King led her back into the safety of the palace._

_The ground shook and another blast was heard even through the palace walls. King Endymion led his Queen under the palace and into the dark chambers that lead further underground of Crystal Tokyo. The family ran into the cave chambers, stopping just before the darkness would swallow them whole. King Endymion unsheathed his sword, turned to his Queen and princess and gave both of them a kiss. He promised he would return to them and up the tunnel he went, to fight for his wife, his daughter and his city. Neo Queen Serenity called after him, but her calls fell on his deaf ears. She gently placed the princess on the ground, then ran toward the closed door and tried to pull it open. She called after King Endymion, pounding her fists onto the chamber door._

_The young princess turned her head toward the darkness of the cave, spotting something sparkle through the darkness. She smiled with excitement and crawled into the darkness, calling out to the sparkling toy. There was a sudden cry that echoed throughout the dark cave chambers. It was a horrifying, single cry that brought every mother's fear into a reality._

_Neo Queen Serenity spun around, her golden hair whipping around her body. She gasped out in horror, her precious princess was missing! The Queen ran blindly into the darkness, calling desperately for her missing daughter. She felt her feet slip on a loose rock and tumbled down a slump, deeper and deeper into the darkness she fell until her body slammed against the ground. She regained her strength, but the fear within her heart grew intensely for what she saw was enough to drive any new mother to insanity. Under a strange ray of light laid a small familiar lifeless body surrounded within a strange dark pool. Neo Queen Serenity screamed out desperately, tears already streaming down her pale face. She was only one...only one damn year..._

_The Queen crawled towards her baby, her mind drawing endless blanks and her body trembling with despair. She screamed again, feeling her once beautiful white dress grow heavy with her daughter's blood. She couldn't find the strength to leave these dark chambers or to call out for help, her senses were fogged against the death of her child. All she could really do was scream into the darkness. Yet, something strange happened, something that was unexpected. Neo Queen Serenity stopped her screams, her eyes suddenly widening at the movement of her daughter's blood that seeped into the cracks of something strange. The blood ran through the grooves like a maze, filling out every cavity like a river in water. Serenity stood up shakily from the ground, her eyes glued to the scene that began to unfold. The dark blood began to glow, it's red color suddenly consumed in a golden bright glow. She stepped further away from the object as it slowly floated into the air, revealing to the Queen glowing pages of a book. She watched as the pages flew by as though an invisible pair of hands was flipping through the book. The flying pages fell still again and words written in red began to write across the blank page._

_Serenity clutched her daughter's body tightly, what did this book have anything to do with her daughter? Her darling princess was dead! There was nothing anyone can do to return the life of innocence. She shook her head desperately and brought her lips lightly to the soft skin of her daughter's forehead. She begged within her heart, to anyone who would grant her a wish, to please bring back her baby daughter. And as though it were answering the Queen's prayers, the letters of the book began to glow red as the blood that brought it to life. Neo Queen Serenity could feel the warmth return back to her baby's soft skin and to her surprise, her daughter coughed to life and cried out in pain. She held her child tightly, her heart leaping with an unbelievable relief. Yet, Serenity's eyes caught sight of the book. The pages turned back towards the front page where a message began to appear. It was a message to the Queen, a message of warning, a curse forever more._

_By blood, did the princess bring back the book from the dark depths of silent eternity. Neo Queen Serenity's wish had been granted, her child would now live the life she had nearly lost, but under a cruel price. The unity between the moon and earth shall forever be the key to the summoning. Forever more, the princess and the book were bonded by blood and soul._

_After the dark moon army had been so easily defeated by the powers of the Sailor Senshi and by King Endymion, Neo Queen Serenity awaited the arrival of Sailor Pluto in her private study. She bit the tip of her thumbnail anxiously, spinning around in anticipation as she heard the door to the private study click open. There appeared the green haired Sailor Soldier of Time. She bowed before her Queen, her smile fading from her lips at the sight of Neo Queen Serenity's troubled expression._

_"My Queen?" said the Sailor Soldier._

_"Sailor Pluto, I wish to give you a mission far more dangerous and secret for the good will of my child."_

_"Yes your majesty."_

_"Take this book and conceal it away from the world." Serenity pleaded, handing Sailor Pluto the heavy black book with red designs and golden clasps. "No one shall ever know this book exists, not my husband, not my enemies, not my allies. Promise me Pluto; protect this secret with your life! If my enemies were to discover the fault of my princess, they will surely use her to destroy the very existence of this world. I cannot bear the thought of losing my child again, please Pluto; hide this book from the eyes of the universe."_

_"I will your majesty." Pluto promised, and then quickly ran out of the private study._

_Sailor Pluto ran out of the palace and disappeared behind the gates of time. She journeyed through the streams of time, appearing in a place she had been to once before. It was the place of Earth and dreams, the beautiful Elysion. She marched up the marvel steps toward the temple, bowing before the high priests and their many apprentices._

_"I beg of you," Pluto began, clutching the book tightly. "I beg of a place to hide this book within your lands. A place that no one shall ever find."_

_"So it is you they have foretold." said the high priest. "Then it shall be done. The Seers of Elysion had long since foretold the arrival of a warrior of time carrying the cursed book. We shall hide this book in the farthest reaches of Elysion where it shall be guarded forever more by the Guardian Lynnia."_

_The priest took the tome from Pluto's hands and handed it to a young girl with short blonde hair and silver eyes. She bowed before the two and disappeared within a flash of light. So the book was hidden within the farthest reaches of Elysion, protected by a young girl and soon forgotten by time. Pluto left Elysion without a glance back. She vowed before the Queen, she would never speak of this ever again. The whole world would never know this event had ever taken place. At least, not until the elements were right again.

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_

_**A/N: **I did not change this chapter so it's not different than the original. (probably an english name slipped by me though)_

_After this point, part two has NOT been rewritten so keep on reading ONLY IF you don't mind the transition from Japanese names to English names (or the fact that the generals still exist.) _

_The plot of the story hasn't changed too much so it'll still make sense even if the first half has been rewritten and the rest has not. But just keep in mind I'm trying my best to change it as fast as I can. _

_In any case, don't forget to review!_

**Update:**** 9/8/09 - **Disregard that A/N. xD


	11. Return to Tokyo

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Chapter Eleven: **

_Return to Tokyo, Luna and Artemis!

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_

Chibiusa woke up that morning in confusion. She had her fair share of nightmares over the years, but this dream was ridiculous. It didn't help that Chibiusa had to experience her dream through the eyes of her baby form, but to be brought to life by a book? A _book_?

Her mind drifted back to last night's events, remembering – for the first time ever – exactly what happened to her. She could even recall Paige's exact words as it continued to echo within the darkness of her mind. It was a warning to all, including Chibiusa herself. Was the Book of Summoning, as her dream called it, the next thing the Rune Brothers were going to try to take? It seemed obvious. Through her years as a Sailor Senshi, Chibiusa has realized that all villains are always after some sort of magical artifact that would help them conquer the world. It was so cliché.

She yawned lazily. Now she understood why she continued to black out whenever she was filled with fury or rage. It was because of the presence of Paige. Since the moment Chibiusa was raped, Paige's appearance was what saved her from death. Paige murdered those men, not Chibiusa, but who would believe that? Paige _was_ Chibiusa, they were the same and all evidence would keep pointing to her.

There was no time to think about the murders; the Sailor Senshi had bigger things to worry about now. It had been long three days and the police still hadn't shown up on her doorstep. It was almost like they didn't believe the possible evidence, or maybe with the way things were going, Chibiusa just happened to be in a place far from them. Whatever it was, it kept themselves at bay from the princess. And with that, Chibiusa jumped out of bed. After changing clothes, she walked down the stairs of the house, feeling grateful that they were finally able to live in peace in their own home again. Of course, peace had a harsh way of ending abruptly.

Once the princess stepped off of the stairs, she spotted the Sailor Senshi sitting in the living room. They were scattered throughout the area, but all eyes were facing to Chibiusa as though she had just imposed on a super secret meeting.

"We need to talk." Setsuna said from the coffee table.

"If it's about last night--" Chibiusa began but Usagi interjected.

"Please, Chibiusa, sit." She beckoned politely.

Chibiusa had to obey; the memory of her mother crying hysterically was still fresh in her mind. She sat down across from Setsuna at the coffee table, her eyes quickly glancing at a gloomy looking Helios on the armchair behind Setsuna. She avoided eye contact with him. She could still feel her anger linger towards him and couldn't help the sudden longing for Kei, the very _boyfriend_ that hadn't been seen since the masquerade dance.

_Hope he's okay. _She sighed at the thought.

"It is about last night," Setsuna began in a rather ice-like tone (despite the glint of fear in her eyes) "We want to know what happened at the wedding. Who was it that spoke to us?"

"No one." Chibiusa replied, moving her eyes away from Setsuna.

"Do not lie in front of us, Chibiusa!" The green haired soldier snapped angrily. "Tell us, what's happening?!"

"I don't know!"

"Then tell us about the book!" Usagi called out, silencing Chibiusa and Setsuna.

Helios's expression changed from sorrow to surprise. The room grew heavy with silent curiosity, but Chibiusa and Setsuna stared back at Usagi with shock evident within their red eyes.

"B-book?" Chibiusa repeated. Usagi's words caught her off guard. How was it possible that she knew about the book?

"The time has come for understanding," Helios sighed, his eyes lingering towards the two figures entering the living room. "Serenity's secret shall not be kept from the eyes of the universe for long."

"Oh, it looks like we came just on time!" Said a familiar voice.

Everyone turned their attention at the doorway, spotting a woman with long curly black hair and familiar golden eyes. She wore a yellow dress with black tulle and a golden crescent moon necklace wrapped around her neck. Standing beside her was a tall man with long straight white hair and blue eyes. He too, had a long crescent moon necklace around his neck. His clothes were white, unlike the woman, and he stared back at everyone with a wide smile. Luna and Artemis had finally returned to Tokyo!

-x-x-x-

It took a while for everyone to settle down. The two cats had left Tokyo months ago on a journey of their own. Now they had returned, this time, with news and knowledge of the Book of Summoning. They joined the senshi in the living room surprised to see that Helios had joined them once more. Once they sat down, Luna and Artemis went straight into business, this was far too important to ignore.

"We may have a new enemy approaching," Luna began, her solemn eyes gazing back at everyone's quiet faces. "Artemis and I had traveled every where in order to understand the latest plan for Tokyo. It turns out there was a meteorite that crashed on an island near Japan, bringing with it a new source of dark energy."

"Luna and I weren't able to find much on this enemy; all we know is that he has two goons working for him known as the Rune Brothers."

"We've seen them already," Rei said bitterly.

"Yes, but we also found out the Rune Brothers are searching for the key to open the Book of Summoning." Artemis continued on. "Without the key, the Rune Brothers will not be able to use the book's power."

"What is the Book of Summoning?" Ami inquired.

"The Book of Summoning has the ability to grant the holder any power he or she wishes." Helios began. "The book is protected by a Guardian named Lynnia. She was once in Elysion with me before we were separated. Her mission was to protect the book while mine was to protect the Golden Crystal."

"Separated huh?" Minako grinned. "Sounds like you two were a bit more than friends."

Helios blushed uncomfortably, avoiding all eye contact with Chibiusa.

"What gives a book that much power?" Makoto wondered.

"According to legends, myth and history, the Book of Summoning had come into existence after the defeat of a powerful sorceress. It is believed that a gallant knight defeated the sorceress and trapped her soul forever within the bindings of a tome. The combination of her magic and the darkness that resided within her soul created a curse around the Book of Summoning. Whoever comes across the tome is automatically gifted with its magical properties, but at a dire price." Artemis said.

"I believe that this was foreseen by Queen Serenity." Luna went on, her eyes glazing over a memory from so long ago. "Queen Serenity from the Silver Millennium once had a dream about the book before Queen Beryl's attack. She told me she dreamt of a child whose blood and soul were bonded into the book's power. The bond was the link, or the key, to opening the book and using its powers."

"The book is considered indestructible," Artemis shuddered involuntarily. "In essence, the book is considered an ultimate weapon. If enemies were to get their hands on the tome then the rest of us can kiss planet Earth good bye."

There was a moment of silence where everyone just looked back at the two cat-turned-humans. Chibiusa thought back to her dream, realizing that if what Luna and Artemis were saying was true, then she was the link to opening the book. She was the key the Rune brothers needed.

After a moment of silence and thinking, Helios finally spoke.

"Which is why I'm here. My mission is to remove the book from its hiding place to a safer location. Unfortunately, the High Priests of Elysion kept the location concealed even from me. Their only words to me was that a woman would know its location."

Chibiusa's eyes instantly shot to Setsuna. She was the only one who knew where the book was; after all, she was the Sailor Senshi of Time.

"Well Setsuna, I think the time has come to break the promise to mother." A slight smirk crossed the princess's face.

Silence fell among them once more. Usagi and the others stared back at Setsuna with confused expressions, but Setsuna's eyes suddenly narrowed back at the princess. Usagi's eyes grew wide with realization, the dream! The dream was true, it had happened. Sailor Pluto carried the book to the priests of Elysion; Lynnia protected the book in the farthest reaches of Elysion. That's where the book was now, still hidden from the universe and protected by a child of Elysion, how long would it take before the Rune brothers and their new enemy got their hands on the Book of Summoning?

"We have to find the book! Setsuna, you have to tell us where it's hidden!" Usagi blurted out, fearing the worst outcome by the enemy having the book's power in their hands.

"No." She said softly. "I promised Neo Queen Serenity that I would keep this secret with me. If our enemies found out about Neo Queen Serenity's fault, they would use it to their advantage. This was a secret I was meant to die with."

Chibiusa's eyes flashed dangerously with fury and outrage as she shot out from her spot and yelled, "Your promise is broken Setsuna! Mother said to hide the book from the eyes of the universe, but guess what? Looks like the universe already knows."

She turned her back to everyone in the living room and marched toward the door, yanking it hazardously open and without warning, collided straight to a man's chest. She stumbled backwards, her eyes focusing back to the two figures standing in the hallway – her eyes instantly widened in horror. The police had finally come.


	12. Fate is Cruel

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Chapter Twelve: **

_Fate is Cruel

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_

There was complete chaos in the Chiba household. The Senshi had to hold both Usagi and Mamoru back from stopping the police from taking their young princess. They cuffed her, read her rights and whisked her away from the house for questioning.

In all the while, Chibiusa's mind could do only one thing and that was to listen to the voice devising a plan.

They drove the silent princess down toward the police station and lead her into a room where only a table and two chairs stood. She stared up at the mirror across from her, knowing full well the rest of the team was watching her intently. The door of the questioning room opened and out appeared two detectives. How could she get herself out of this now?

"We know you were there at the scene of the crime so there's no use in lying," said the woman detective. "Tell us what happened."

"I can't remember." She sighed (her head already aching). "One man wrapped his arms around me and brought me to the bedroom and he knocked me out with a clock."

"Then who murdered Mr. Niigata?" the male cop persisted. "You and him were the only people left in the house the moment he died! Tell me, where is his body?!"

Chibiusa looked away from the detectives, anger and annoyance bubbling within her again. How annoying these cops were, always pressing their noses in business that was not there own. How was she supposed to know what Paige did to the body of her rapist? She had no memory!

"I can't remember." She repeated coldly.

"Try to remember! We need to know what exactly happened to all three of them!"

"I can't remember!" She yelled in anger. _"Silence you fools!" _Hissed the agitated voice within the princess's mind.

At that moment, several things happened at once. The mirror that allowed the rest of the team to listen in on Chibiusa's interrogation exploded into shimmering shards. The two detectives flew out from their seats, dodging the flying pieces that scattered onto the floor. Chibiusa gasped, nearly tipping over the chair she sat on.

The door flew wide open, revealing Setsuna, Usagi, Mamoru and what became clear was Chibiusa's lawyer. The lawyer took charge immediately and even managed to pull Chibiusa away from the two detectives. While the lawyer argued with the two detectives, Chibiusa took the opportunity to leave and began to make her way toward the exit of the building. Setsuna followed quietly behind, leaving a mesmerized Usagi and Mamoru back at the station.

"Chibiusa!" Setsuna called out. "Where are you going?'"

"Is this why the time key destroyed itself, Luna P? Did time reject me before I even knew what was meant to happen?"

"No, Chibiusa, what are you saying?"

"Nothing." Chibiusa sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing what so ever."

Chibiusa trailed away from Setsuna, following the sidewalk toward the park path, leaving Setsuna behind to return to the station.

-x-x-x-

The princess walked absentmindedly into the park; her thoughts swirling in her head about the day the Time Key had destroyed itself within Chibiusa's hands and about the day of her attack. She thought back to Kei and his disappearing act in the masquerade prom. She wondered where he was, he could have come to the wedding, but Helios was there. She had already broken Helios's heart, what more harm could be done if she searched for Kei?

It wouldn't have done much; Helios had blushed at the sound of Lynnia's name back at the Chiba residence. Minako was right, something did happen between Helios and Lynnia before the white haired boy had met the pink haired princess. So they were even, Helios had his guardian of the book and Chibiusa had her classmate.

Yet, something deep inside her continued to mourn. Her heart felt heavy with grief and everything around her felt as though nothing mattered. She felt alone now without Kei with her or Helios. She had no Diana to keep her company, she had no Hotaru or Seta, and she was alone in the park, walking absentmindedly to where ever the road took her.

Suddenly, Chibiusa's mind wandered back to the police station. The detectives questioned her for murder? Wouldn't they think that she was the victim not the number one suspect? Wouldn't they have considered the fact that what happened in Usagi and Mamoru's room was an act of self-defense?

A loud bang brought the princess out of her train of thought. She blinked in surprise, noticing a large red and white striped tent being pulled upward by a crane. There were workers walking past the princess with yellow hard hats and tools strapped to their sides. Chibiusa could see most of the rides that spread further down the path assemble and empty booths being pushed toward the side where the shade of the trees reached. Her red eyes flew upwards, noticing a large white sign with large letters explaining to her what was coming.

_A park fair?_ She thought in confusion. _Hm, maybe Kei could go with me? _

"At a time like this?" whispered Paige's voice through Chibiusa's lips.

_I guess it would be a bad time but . . .._

She sighed sadly, turning on her heel absentmindedly when she suddenly collided into something for the second time that day. She stumbled back in surprise, spluttering her apology for her clumsiness when her ruby eyes caught sight of the familiar face in front of her.

"Kei!" She cried happily, embracing the teen in her arms "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, that's my line." He grinned, returning her hug before they separated. "Seta told me about the Park Fair that was opening tonight so I came to check it out. I'm actually surprised to see you here. I guess this means we'll be going together?"

"Yeah...I guess it does." She smiled.

"_Princess . . ."_

_Let me go with him . . . just this once._

"Seta told me your sister got married yesterday, is that true?"

The corner of Chibiusa's mouth twitched. She had forgotten that both Seta and Kei never knew that Chibiusa was truly Usagi and Mamoru's daughter. It was better to keep it the way it was it did no harm to Kei and Seta to think that Usagi was Chibiusa's older sister. After all, the two did show at least some resemblance. She nodded in reply, taking note of the teen's crestfallen face.

"How come I wasn't invited?" He pouted.

"Oh." Chibiusa's smile fell so fast she wondered if Kei had noticed. "I wasn't allowed to invite you. I wanted to, but I couldn't..."

"Well that isn't fair. I _am_ your boyfriend; I thought your sister was cool with that?"

"It's not that..." She sighed. "It's just...there was someone--"

"Chibiusa?" Inquired a familiar voice. (A voice that was _too _familiar for her liking.)

The princess moved her gaze away from Kei, her face visibly paling a ghostly white and her eyes widening with horror.

_You've GOT to be joking! _She cringed inwardly. "Oh boy."

Kei spun around, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the white haired man standing behind the two of them with a look of confusion and curiosity on his face. Chibiusa heaved a heavy sigh; this was bad, really, really bad.

For a moment, she thought she heard someone snicker.

"And you are?" The sixteen-year-old raised an eyebrow.

_Don't say it! _

"My name is Helios, a friend of Chibiusa's, and you are?"

_Don't. Don't. Don't!_

"I'm Kei," He crossed his arms in an almost defiant manner. "Her boyfriend."

This time, Chibiusa cringed visibly as though Seta's words had physically wounded her. _Damnit Kei! _She hissed mentally.

And once more, Chibiusa heard a faint snicker in the back of her mind.

* * *

**Nada: **_Okay so this is the part where I get murdered in cold blood by Kira for deciding to delete a good chunk of my story. Then again, Kira goes after criminals -- BUT WHAT I'VE DONE IS INJUSTICE! (-ahem-) Anyway, I deleted them because they're going to be rewritten anyway so might as well get rid of any traces of the original plot before readers get confused! __(-guilty conscious-)_

**Read & Review! **_It gets me to post faster and it makes me happy!_


	13. Naïveté

**A/N:** _Uwaaahh!!! I didn't mean to lack behind on the rewrites for so long! I can't say that reality got in the way because College students don't really have too much work to begin with. I guess truthfully I lost inspiration for this particular story. (Its the fandom, I haven't been watching my Sailor Moon DVDs in MONTHS!) SORRY! _

**

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Chapter Thirteen: **

_Naïveté_

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"Boyfriend?" Helios quirked an eyebrow upward.

Uh oh, the truth was out. The future princess of Crystal Tokyo has chosen a regular commoner of Tokyo over the handsome white haired Elysion Priest of the Golden Crystal! The shock! The horror! The explanations! Oh the humanity!

"Oh, I get it," Kei said suddenly, his head turning back to Chibiusa. "This is him isn't it?"

Chibiusa blinked in confusion. "_What_?"

"This is the person that broke your heart before me right?" –Helios furrowed his brow at this—"Is that why you didn't invite me to the wedding? Because you didn't want me to see that he was back in town?"

"I--" Chibiusa trailed off, unable to find the words or an explanation to what was going on. Kei took her silence as the answer to his questions and he suddenly turned his attention back to Helios.

"I challenge you to four game wins at the Park Fair tomorrow! If you win all four games, you can have Chibiusa back! But if I win, you have to leave her alone! Is that a deal?"

"What?!" She gasped.

There was a moment of silence. Chibiusa stared back at the two boys in shock; unable to help but wonder if Kei had just lost his mind. She silently hoped that Helios would turn down this challenge, but to her dismay, the white haired priest nodded his head and the two grasped hands to seal the deal. Her jaw dropped in shock.

"I can't believe this!" She cried, stomping her foot on the ground angrily. "You two are so immature!" And with that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the park. (Paige's voice still snickering in the back of her mind.)

-x-x-x-

When word of the Park Fair got out to the Sailor Senshi, Usagi decided to take advantage of what would possibly be the last time they would have any fun in Tokyo before a battle broke out. She managed to convince the Sailor Senshi in joining her in a day of fun, _including _dragging Chibiusa to the fair with them.

It didn't surprise the pink princess when they arrived at the fair, that Hotaru had come along with Seta. No doubt those two were on a date together – lucky them.

To say Chibiusa was envious is an understatement. In truth, she was down right jealous that Hotaru and Seta could have a date at the Fair while she had to deal with two boys competing against each other for her affection. Now usually she wouldn't have minded that too much, wouldn't any girl like two boys fighting over her? But she just wasn't in the mood for it. She wasn't a trophy for them to keep, so why the hell did they act like it?!

_Ridiculous. _She found herself thinking over and over again, but Paige found it rather amusing and continued to snicker in the dark reaches of the girl's mind.

She eyed the boys like a hawk, watching as Kei tossed a plastic ball toward a pyramid of plastic bottles. His first hit was a bull's eye; it knocked down all three bottles to the ground. His second throw missed the bottom bottles and his third throw was another bull's eye. He grinned triumphantly at Helios, as if challenging the priest.

Helios picked up the ball from the counter and tossed it at the three bottles. It was a bull's eye. He picked up another and another. Bull's eye! Helios had won all three rounds and even won a stuffed black cat that looked suspiciously like Luna. Kei frowned in disappointment; Helios was going to be harder than he thought.

Chibiusa sighed, not from relief or disappointment, but from exhaustion. She was getting tired of this. From all the things that had happened between the two, she wasn't sure who she preferred more, Kei or Helios? _'Oh, like it matters!'_ she fumed. Helios would just leave again; he would go back to his home and leave her behind. And Kei, she hardly knew Kei that well herself. Eventually _she _herself would end up returning back to the future anyway, what was the point in establishing a relationship now?

"_Love is not worth the trouble princess . . ."_

_How would you know? You're just some disembodied voice in my head. _Chibiusa scoffed, loudly, earning her the attention of curious little kids with balloons tied around their wrists. She stuck out her tongue at them.

"_I know more than you can possibly understand . . ."_

She rolled her eyes dubiously.

"Hey Chibiusa, what are you doing here alone?"

Chibiusa snapped from her thoughts, noticing Hotaru and Seta stood beside her, their fingers interlocked with each other's. Jealousy stung her like a venomous snake, but she masked her expression well and glanced back toward the booth Kei and Helios had once been in, only to find that the guys were gone. She huffed in disappointment; losing sight of those two could only bring trouble.

"Just thinking." She smiled.

"Why don't you come and join us?" Seta suggested. "We were about to go to the mini roller coaster."

"Oh, no thanks. I think I'll just wait."

"If you change your mind later, you know where to find us." Hotaru smiled.

With a wave, the couple turned away, the two carrying oddly wide smiles. Chibiusa's brows furrowed at the sight for a moment, before a smile returned to her lips. She might have been jealous that her own best friend could have a somewhat normal relationship with Seta, but at least the raven-haired teen was happy.

_She used to be so shy. _She thought, quietly finding an empty bench beside the ice cream booth. _When did she out grow her shell? _

"_Jealousy is very becoming on you princess."_

_Who says I'm jealous? I'm happy that Hotaru can be happy for once. _She rolled her eyes despite the fact that she knew the voice could not see. _Ugh. If I want your opinion I'll ask for it._

"_There are more important matters ahead of us, princess. We have no time to waste. The Book of Summoning is our top priority . . ."_

"Hmph." _I don't know if I should trust you. I hardly know anything about you but you know a lot about me. If I learned anything from my Senshi training, it's to never trust disembodied voices in your head! _"Who are you truly?" She voiced loud enough for herself to hear, but low enough that no bystanders heard her.

She was greeted with silence, a slow triumphant grin spreading across her face. This was the first time Chibiusa was attempting to withhold a conversation with the mysterious voice of Paige and stunning her to silence—although not one of the best moves— brought her a strange feeling of satisfaction. It was probably revenge for her "jealousy" comment.

"Shows her." She muttered under her breath. "I'm not jealous."

But the voice returned, stoic, icy and yet filled with some sort of _something_ lacing every one of her words. _"I am Paige, your majesty." _Chibiusa couldn't help but roll her eyes again at the obviousness of her answer but surprisingly, the voice went on. _"The book was never meant to exist, princess. It was created by accidental means through the heroic vigilance of an arrogant man." _

"_I was once like you, flesh, blood, life—human. I was a young woman, beautiful, graceful, very much like a princess as you and just like you, I was scorned by the flames of love. He was a knight in more ways than one. A symbol of courage, justice…heartbreak. He was my knight in shining armor, but my love for him was sneered against the gods and thus, as punishment, my arrogant knight in shining armor sealed away my fate within the bindings of a tome—the Book of Summoning. It is a fate worse than death. And to live for as long as I with a heart heavy with grief… I can only wait for the day when the seal has been broken."_

Chibiusa's eyes widened suddenly, Artemis' words from the other day echoing within her ears. _You-you're the, you're the sorceress!_

"_I was once…but now, I am, as you say, a 'disembodied voice'."_

_But you—_

"Chibiusa?"

Reality rushed back toward the princess as she snapped out of her subconscious. She glanced up at the figure before her, honey brown eyes instantly locking gaze against ruby red. Chibiusa felt herself grow hot under the intensity of the stare—so many emotions swam in the deep pools of his honey eyes—and wretched her gaze to stare at her fingers instead.

"What happened to Kei? Don't tell me you guys finished your competition."

"He had to use the restrooms. I only managed to escape."

"Don't get distracted on my account," She huffed. "I'm just the prize, remember?"

Helios heaved a heavy sigh. "Forgive me." He murmured, bowing his head in shame.

"I—_huh_?" She blinked, confusion clouding her eyes. "What?"

"Forgive me, maiden," He repeated, this time arching forward in a bow heavy with shame and sorrow. "For returning this way. To return for a mission rather than on heart's request, forgive me. I understand your pain Chibiusa. Having been forced to stay away when all this time we were never so far apart. Your dreams have always called out to me… but I… I could never return until now."

Anger suddenly blossomed within Chibiusa's chest and ran throughout her body like blood. Her eyes hardened in outrage, a memory of Usagi's wedding flashing before her eyes—they had been through this before. The venomous words from their last conversation fought their way back into her throat, but she bit back the urge to yell, to scream, to smack that pretty little face of his.

She gripped the edge of the bench tightly, trying with all her will power to hold back the fiery hatred that struggled so defiantly to burst out for freedom.

"So you could have come if you wanted to, but you chose not to." She spat the words distastefully, causing the boy to straighten from his bow. "You were so close to me the last six years and yet… you never once gave me a sign."

"Maiden—"

"Helios!" Chibiusa interjected, her flaming red eyes finally glaring into Helios's pools of honey brown. "I don't want to hear it!" Her eyes softened slightly, but the rage continued to boil beneath her flesh. "Just stop it, okay? If you want me to forgive you then fine, I forgive you! But knowing that you always had the choice to see me, but never did, it hurts. I get it, you had your duties and I had mine but when I was at my lowest I expected you to be there. You weren't." She sighed, shaking her head slowly at the memories of her own deep sorrow in the last six years of complete silence. "You want my forgiveness then you have it, but don't expect me to embrace you with open arms."

And with that, she pushed off the bench and turned away from the Elysion Priest without a look back.

She walked through the Fair in silence, eyes facing forward, hands clutched into fists and her mind mulling over the events that had happened in the last few days. The memories of her dream re-focused in her mind as well as the conversation the Sailor Senshi had about the Book of Summoning back in the Chiba residence not long ago. Added to that, Paige's own words mixed into the swirl of information—everything all pointing to one option she had left.

_I'll set you free Paige._

"_Princess?" _Came the curious voice.

_You were cursed by the person you loved, whether the gods liked it or not. If my mom taught me anything, it's that love conquers all. Your knight had a choice, curse you or not and he chose to make you suffer. I'm a Sailor Senshi who fights for love and justice! I'll set you free, some how, some way. Just tell me what I have to do and I'll do it._

"_Your majesty…" _Paige sighed, whether it was through relief or sadness, Chibiusa couldn't tell. _"Thank you… for your kindness."_

Chibiusa outwardly smiled.

* * *

**Nada:** _Chapter 13 was originally titled "Trouble at the Fair" before the rewrite. Any readers who read the original would remember that I had one of the Rune Brothers attack the Generals for the key, but since the Generals didn't make the cut for the rewrite, the whole chapter was altered and chapter 14 is cut completely out of the story now. This fanfic is starting to look a lot different than the original (-laughs-)_

_In other news, I've been busy with a new fanfic under a different fandom (Kingdom Hearts--oh joy!;;) I've been a huge fan of it since a while but I never actually wrote a fandom for it completely. I severely doubt I'll post it on here... only for the fact that I'm still too shy to post up anything I write up anywhere._ _(-sweat-) Ugh, Nada needs to learn how to be optimistic with the things she writes._

**Please, read and review!** Not only does it make an author happy, but it also serves as inspiration and... it gives birth to UPDATES!


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